Fighting Solitude
by SUPRNTRAL LVR
Summary: Merlin and Arthur have escaped death, but now they face something even worse... sequel to Revealed. Lots of Limp! and Angst! to come!
1. Watched

**Disclaimer: As much as I would like to, I don't own Merlin!**

**I'll be completely honest here - I completely forgot about this story! I'm really sorry for that. It must have been at least six months... :[ Anyway, I DO plan to continue it. I decided to tell those of you who reviewed last time this was up, although I understand if you are no longer interested. Hopefully there are still a few of you out there...? Anyway, here we go! By the way, this chapter introduces a new character... I hope you guys like him! :D**

**Fighting Solitude - sequel to Revealed**

**Merlin has been exposed to Camelot as he defeated the mighty Griffin, but was thrown into an even harder fight. Uther imprisoned him, sentencing him to death, but with Arthur, Gwen, Gaius and Lancelot's help he escaped and hid in Morgana's secret cottage in the woods. However, Uther discovered his hiding place and sent men to kill him. As Merlin fled who should he run into but Nimueh. Luckily Arthur again came to help him, although it was Merlin who finally destroyed Nimueh. Now, Merlin and Arthur are on their way back to Camelot... but what they don't know, is that things are about to get much, much worse...**

Aden dug his long, slender fingers into the wood of the tree he was hanging from as the wind brushed lightly against him, sending his long black hair whipping about his face. He shook it back and swung himself smoothly up onto the branch, perching on it on the balls of his feet. His eyes roved over the forest below him, softly lit with the glow of the setting sun. This was further than he had ever gone before. If he did not return home soon, his brothers would worry... _only a little longer, _he promised himself. The young doe he had been tracking for the last few hours caught his eye, stealing his attention. He let go of the branch and reached behind him to pull out his bow, his eyes fixed on the doe. He nocked an arrow into the bow, lifted it slowly, careful not to draw attention to himself. The doe picked its way over the leafy floor, nosing at the scrawling bushes. It lifted its head suddenly, its bright black eyes sparkling. Aden wet his lips.

_Prepare... _he took a deep breath, shutting his eyes for a moment.

_Aim... _he opened his eyes, focusing on the doe, and lined up his arrow.

_And... Now!_

He let the arrow fly. At the exact same moment, a terrible, peircing scream tore through the silence of the forest. The doe bucked and fled in fear and shock, and Aden felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. The scream cut off and a monstrous wind whipped up from nowhere, shaking the trees and kicking up the leaves on the ground. It was so powerful that it upended a small sappling a few meters away. It hit Aden full on and he was thrown right off the tree. He hit the ground hard and stars exploded before his eyes. Then, abruptly, everything vanished.

When Aden awoke, the cool light of the morning sun was pouring through the trees. He lay still for a few moments, trying to gather his thoughts. How long had he been unconscious? Could it really have been all night? Shakily, he pulled himself up to his hands and knees. He looked down at his bow, or what remained of it. He was holding one half - the other was lying somewhere on the other side of the tree. Throwing it down, Aden rose unsteadily to his feet and looked around, still breathing heavily.

_What on earth...?_

_"Ssssssscccccccaaaaaaaaaahhhhh....."_

The resounding hiss slipped through the trees and Aden froze, his nerves jangling at once. He felt for the small knife in his belt. It would barely make any difference at all against an attack, but it made him feel better. The hiss came again this time from behind him, and Aden span around.

"Who's there?" he called, his voice shrill and high.

No answer. Well, had he really been expecting one? Whatever was out there, it definately wasn't human. Aden forced himself to take a deep breath. _Just stay calm. Everything's going to be fine... _and then he saw it. A shimmering, pale yellow light - an orb - hovering in the shadows of a large tree. The way it flicked gently from side to side, tiny sparks dancing from its blazing core, made it almost beautiful. Almost entrancing. Almost... but contrary to joy, instead he felt a cold, hard fist of fear close around his heart. Evil. This thing was evil. His only instinct was to run... he took a step backwards, his whole body trembling. _Get away. Run!_ his brain was screaming. But if he ran, he might provoke some kind of reaction... he took another step.

The orb darted forwards at once, hissing loudly. Aden ducked and it sailed over his head. Without thinking he ran, sprinting through the trees as fast as he could. His head swung and he stumbled, groaning. He felt at the back of his head. Blood stuck to his fingers. He must have hit his head harder than he had thought. The orb suddenly appeared once more and Aden skidded to a halt, panting. There was no time to scream - the next second it was upon him. It rushed in on him and... and slammed straight into his chest. Aden could hear himself screaming, but he could no longer feel his own body... he couldn't see...

Aden dropped to his knees, gasping for breath as the orb vanished into him. Slowly, his breathing began to even out. He lifted his head, his eyes narrowing coldly. His irises pulsed once with a strange, golden light. Then he rose to his feet, turned and began to stride purposefully through the trees.

There was work to do.

* * *

Merlin breathed in the fresh morning air and grinned. Back in the cave he had been so sure that he would never see the light of day again, and yet here he was walking through the forest with Arthur. They had decided to give the horse a rest after a few hours of riding, and besides he didn't even feel tired. Experimentally, he pressed a hand against his chest. No pain. He pulled open his tunic and clawed off the bandages on his chest. No wounds... smirking, Merlin looked up at Arthur who had moved ahead slightly.

"Arthur! Look!"

Arthur turned and arched one eyebrow. "At what? Your complete lack of muscles?"

Merlin rolled his eyes. "No, idiot," he said. "No blood! I'm all healed!"

"Your magic?" Merlin nodded. Arthur scowled and touched the small wound coated in dried blood on his forehead. "Its alright for some."

"You want me to fix it for you?"

Arthur hesitated. "Are you sure? I mean, do you know how?"

"Maybe," Merlin replied, cocking his head. "I've never tried before, but I could always try."

"And if it goes wrong?"

"Nothing. Well, there might be some small side effects... like growing another head..."

Arthur paled. "Keep your spells, I'm fine," he muttered. He paused. "Did you just call me an idiot?"

Merlin hesitated. "Ah..."

Arthur scowled at him. He tugged gently on the horse, leading it on. Merlin grinned and followed him, doing up his tunic as he went. He felt better than he had in a long time. His clothes were still singed and burnt from the fight with Nimueh, and he had been up for most of the night, but he still felt good. Maybe things were finally looking up. Although... his smile faded. He didn't want to think about what happened when they returned to Camelot.

_"Your father... Uther... will never let me be."_

_"Yes he will. As the future king of Camelot, I will make this right."_

Arthur had sounded so sure then, and Merlin had half believed him. But now, doubts were beginning to crawl back into his mind. He was known as the Sorccerer in Camelot. Feared and hated for his magic. According to Arthur, a few of the villagers believed in him in some small way. But there was still Uther. He remembered his kings cold, accusing eyes and shuddered. Even Arthur couldn't stand up to that. And the king's word was law. It would be so much safer for him to leave Camelot...

_And leave Gwen? Leave Giaus? Leave Arthur?_

_No. _It wasn't an option. And yet, what choice did he have? Uther would have him killed as soon as he stepped through the gates.

Ahead of him, Arthur suddenly groaned and stumbled against his horse. Merlin leapt forwards at once, grabbing his friend's arm.

"Arthur!"

Arthur clutched at his sleeve, wincing, one hand pressed to his head. "Ow..."

Merlin relaxed. "Its just a dizzy spell. Giaus says it happens all the time with head injuries. Maybe you should get on the horse for a bit."

He brushed Arthur's hair back, examining the wound. He had cleaned it as best he could before, but Gaius would be able to deal with it much better. Returning to Camelot would certainly be better for Arthur...

"Gerroff me, Merlin!" Arthur growled, swatting his hands away. "I'm not five."

"If you'd just let me use my magic-"

"I'd be known as Arthur, king of tentacles and vampire fangs for the rest of my life. I'm good with one head, thanks."

Merlin sighed and let go. "Fine. You alright?"

Arthur nodded. "Its only a little further to Camelot. I'm fine."

He began to walk again, pulling on the horse's reigns lightly. Merlin began to follow, but then stopped.

_Something... what is that?_

He could sense something nearby, something watching them. He could practically feel the eyes, cold and calculating, fixed on the back of his head. He turned, lifting a fist, ready to let his magic fly... but there was nothing. He scanned the trees, frowning. Even as he did so, the feeling melted away.

"Merlin! What are you doing, posing for an artist? Hurry up!"

Merlin shook himself and hurried after Arthur. It must have been nothing. The only thing he had to worry about was Camelot and Uther.

The eyes remained fixed on the unlikely pair as they continued their journey. The mouth quirked slightly. Then, silently, the face withdrew into the shadows and began to follow.

**Once again, sorry for the wait with this. Please review!**

**SUPRNTRAL LVR.**


	2. Stranger

**Disclaimer: As much as I would like to, I don't own Merlin!**

The gates of Camelot loomed up before them like the entrance to hell, the midday sun blazing over the smooth stone. The people moving in and out of the gates had already begun to recognise Merlin, and their Prince who was - for once, following Merlin's advice - riding again while Merlin walked beside him. Some stopped and stared while others ran into the kingdom, shouting to one another. The gate guard backed off at once, sprinting away and shouting for the king's guards. Merlin felt his insides shrink.

"Arthur," he muttered.

"Don't worry," Arthur replied. "I'm in charge here."

Merlin bit his lip. They were walking through the main street of the village now, and people were slipping out of their way. Merlin looked around at them, and a mother pulled her child protectively against her. _They hate me... _Merlin quickly fixed his eyes on the ground. He couldn't blame them. In their eyes he was an evil fire-weilding warlock. He moved a little closer to Arthur's horse, as if it could somehow hide him from the thousands of eyes on him.

_"Its the Sorccerer!"_

_"He's come back."_

_"What's he doing here?"_

_"The Prince is with him."_

_"What's happened?"_

_"Get the children inside."_

_"The Sorccerer..."_

Merlin wanted to put his hands over his ears to block out the whispers which were steadily growing louder and louder. He wanted to just turn and run... but he had to trust Arthur. The courtyard of the castle came into sight before them and as they moved into it the doors of the great building flew open. Uther strode out onto the top step, his guards fanning out around him, swords raised. Merlin stopped at once.

"Come on," Arthur said softly to him.

"Arthur, no," Merlin hissed back. "Uther-"

"If you can destroy Nimueh, you can take on my father," Arthur said.

Merlin shrugged. If he had the choice, he thought he would rather take Nimueh on again rather than face Uther's rage. Arthur swung down from his horse and walked forwards, lifting his chin.

"Father. Send the guards back. There is no need for them."

"He has bewitched you again, son," Uther replied. "You're not in your right mind."

"Merlin never bewitched me," Arthur said. "I made that up so that you would leave me alone. So that I could go and help him. Father, Merlin is our _friend. _He has killed Nimueh-"

"Enough," Uther spat. "Arthur! I am sick and tired of this obsession with magic you have developed!"

"I am _not _obsessed with magic!"

"Is it true?"

Merlin looked up. Morgana had appeared on the steps and was looking at him. "Is it? Did you defeat Nimueh?"

Merlin nodded, and then cleared his voice. "Yes, I did. I think so."

A murmur ran through the crowd that had gathered around the courtyard. Uther scowled.

"It doesn't matter who he has killed! What matters is who is next on his list!"

"Merlin is not evil, father!" Arthur said heatedly. "And from now on, if you challenge him, you challenge me."

The crowd gasped, almost as one. It would have been funny if it hadn't been for the seriousness of the situation. Merlin swallowed hard. Uther was shaking his head.

"Enough," he repeated.

He gestured to his guards and they began to move forwards. Merlin raised his hands slightly, taking a step backwards. The guards stopped at once, lifting their weapons fearfully. Merlin frowned. Could it be that they truly were that scared of him? He was just the same as he had always been, and yet they were treating him like gunpowder that could be lit at any moment. Uther was trying to coax the guards forwards again, but they still hadn't moved. Arthur was shouting at his father, at the guards. Morgana was staring at him, along with the whole kingdom... Merlin shut his eyes, and then strode forwards before he could let himself change his mind.

"Alright," he said. "Alright."

At once, silence fell. Every eye turned on him. Merlin forced himself not to move, to return the gaze of the kingdom. He had more power than Uther, he realized. He had barely even spoken, and everyone had stopped.

"Yes, I am a Sorccerer," he said. "And I am powerful, more so than I was before. And it scares me too. Its not easy, especially when you realize people are scared of you..." he glanced around at the villagers, some of whom glanced at one another. "Its scary being... being different. At first I thought I would give anything to just be normal, to be one of you. But now I know that I have a _purpose_. I have magic in my blood for a _reason. _That reason, I think, is to help Camelot and..." he looked quickly at Uther, and then Arthur. "And its king."

A sudden movement caught his eye and he turned his head to see Gwen appearing at the bottom of the steps. Her face was split in a huge grin, her eyes sparkling. He felt a smile spreading across his own face. He turned back to the crowd.

"I don't know whats going to happen in the future," he said. "I don't know whether things will get better or worse. But what I do know that I will always stand by Arthur. I know that I am loyal to Camelot. And I know that my magic - and myself - are not evil."

There was a silence. Then, suddenly, someone started clapping. Another person joined the first. And another... and another... Merlin turned, raising his eyebrows in confusion. They were appluading him... some of the people were moving away, shaking their heads and muttering to one another, but others were pressing forwards and _clapping..._

"Silence!" Uther roared. "Silence!"

Only a few people obeyed. Morgana stepped forwards, looking from Arthur and Merlin to Uther and back again.

"Let us take this inside," she said. "We can discuss this matter civilly."

"I'm willing if you are, father," Arthur said softly.

Uthur was furious. His hands were balled into trembling fists at his sides. He glared at Merlin, and then turned and stormed back into the castle. His guards followed, followed in turn by Morgana. Arthur strode forwards, leaving his horse behind. Gwen ran forwards at once and Merlin stepped forwards to meet her, hugging her tightly as she threw her arms around his neck.

"Merlin! I was so, so scared, I thought you were _dead..._"

"Nah, not me," Merlin replied, grinning. "I'm fine."

"But Nimueh-"

"Its a long story, and one I don't think we have time for now."

She nodded understandingly.

"Merlin!" Merlin looked up. Gaius was standing at the top of the steps by the open front doors. "Are you going to stand there nattering all day? Hurry up, boy!"

Merlin let Gwen go and ran up the steps. He paused beside Gaius, who laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Well done for coming back," he said quietly.

"Gaius, I'm sorry for all the-"

"Just go! Go!" Gaius urged pushing him. "Everything else can wait. Go on!"

Merlin moved past him and into the mouth of the castle.

* * *

Arthur relaxed as Merlin appeared in the corridor. The boy had certainly taken his time. Arthur had even begun to worry that his father's men had taken him in. But as Merlin moved into the corridor and walked towards him, the guards who had waited to escort him hung back, gripping their swords tightly. It was as if Merlin was radiating fear, infecting everyone nearby with the potent emotion. Even Arthur was beginning to feel slightly nervous when standing next to him. The awesome height of Merlin's power was beginning to dawn on him for the first time, and the effect that it could have on Camelot was all too clear...

But Merlin was his friend. Merlin was too loyal to ever even dream of turning against him. And Arthur trusted him. So he pushed away his doubts and fell into step beside Merlin, walking with him towards the throne room.

"Nice speech," he murmured. "You been practicing that on the way over?"

Merlin smiled shakily. "I was terrified. I still _am_. Arthur, I really don't know how you're expecting to pull this off."

Arthur smirked. "Didn't you see them out there? Everyone thought you were wonderful. Everyone _respected _you."

"Almost everyone," Merlin corrected, remembering those who had turned away. "Well, maybe that went well, but what now?"

"Now..." Arthur paused, thinking. "Now... I don't know. We'll talk."

They had reached the throne room by now, and the doors were wide open. Uther and Morgana were already inside, seated at the other end of the hall. Uther was drumming his fingers on the throne's arm, clearly trying to subdue his anger. Arthur and Merlin stopped in the centre of the room.

"You have disgraced me, Arthur," Uther growled. "It is a sad day when a man cannot trust his own son."

"I believe it is you who has disgraced me!" Arthur replied. "Merlin has saved my life over and over, and has never asked for anything for himself. He means no harm to anyone, and yet you refuse to even give him a chance!"

"Arthur, what part of 'magic is evil' do you have trouble with?"

"The part where its a lie! Why do you hate it so much, father?"

Uther kept his mouth shut, his eyes burning. Merlin glanced quickly at Morgana, who returned his gaze and then rose to her feet.

"Uther," she said. "I have a proposition."

Uther scowled, not even looking at her. Morgana continued anyway.

"I, too, believe that Merlin is no threat to us. We could give him a week in which to prove himself to you."

"In a week he could destroy us all!"

"Father, please," Arthur urged. "I will take full responsibility for anything Merlin does. This could be the start of a new era for Camelot!"

Uther shook his head. "This will not end well, you mark my words. But sometimes people must learn the hard way..." he looked up, and then suddenly rose to his feet and strode towards Merlin. Merlin steeled himself not to move, even when Uther was only a foot away.

"And I will warn you, Sorccerer," he snarled. "When - not if, _when - _you step out of line, I will be waiting. I will be there. And this time, I will kill you myself."

Merlin swallowed hard. "I understand, sire," he said, struggling to lift his voice above a croak.

Uther glared at him for a few more seconds. Then he turned away and strode back to his throne. "Arthur, you're bleeding. Go and see Giaus."

Arthur shot Merlin a grin and headed for the doors. But Merlin couldn't smile. As far as he could see, this had solved nothing. He had come face to face with the snake and instead of running for his life he was burrowing into its nest. His heart was thundering in his chest even as he turned and followed Arthur out of the room, struggling to keep his pace slow and relaxed. He got out of the room and the doors closed behind him.

Merlin fell back against the wall, letting out a heavy sigh. He shut his eyes and concentrated on calming down for a few moments. Arthur was probably right. Everything would probably be fine.

Probably...

So why did he feel like everything was about to come crashing down?

Taking a deep breath, he pushed off the wall and walked down the corridor towards the courtyard. The guards there shrank back out of his way, and he quickly fixed his eyes on the ground. He was going to have to get used to this. But first, there was someone he had to see.

* * *

Arthur pushed his door open and staggered into his chambers, letting out a groan of relief. He had no idea that he could miss a simple room so much. He pulled off the remainder of his armour and let it fall to the ground before moving over to his bed and slumping down on it. His head was still throbbing dully. He would go and see Giaus later, but right now he was just too tired.

"Merlin," he called. "Could you get me a..."

His voice trailed off as he remembered that Merlin wasn't with him. He had probably wandered off to see Giaus or Gwen. Sighing, Arthur put an arm over his eyes to block out the firelight. He wondered breifly how water was heated for a bath. Over the fire? But that would take forever... it didn't matter. He would just have to wait until Merlin returned. Or he could just go to sleep. He could call some other servent but... no. He only wanted to use Merlin these days. Perhaps he could work it out for himself.

He sat up slowly, wincing at the pain in his head, and rose to his feet. He moved out into his main chambers, raising a hand to finger the graze on his forehead. Then he stopped.

He was no longer alone.

Arthur looked up, his eyebrows jumping halfway up his head in surprise. "Wh... who... wha?"

The person was standing in the tiny alcove where the window was. As Arthur stuttered, he - for it was a young man - straightened up and stepped forwards, into the light. Arthur recoiled at once. The man was even younger than him, but his face bore an eerie resembelence to one much older. His long dark hair hung limp and damp about his pale, gaunt face and his mouth hung open as if he were about to say something, but no words came out. He looked as if he had been drowned, and then ressurected by someone who was ammateure at ressurecting. The man's dead, blank eyes lifted to focus on Arthur's. Arthur took a step backwards.

"How did you get in here?"

He didn't know what happened - one minute the man was by the window, the next he was barely an inch away. Arthur flinched backwards, reaching for his sword, and then remembered that he had taken it off just a few minutes ago. Cursing under his breath, he readied himself for a fight.

"Stand back," he growled. "I'm warning you-"

_"Soon, it will all be destroyed," _the man rasped. His voice was gravelly and hoarse, barely even a voice. _"And when it is done She will rise from the embers like a glorious pheonix, and the world will roll in fire..."_

Arthur stared at him in confusion. "What... who? Who is 'She?'"

The man's lips twitched in a sneer, an emotion that didn't reach his dead, empty eyes. _"Now we are one."_

"I don't-"

In one swift movement the man lifted his hand and tapped Arthur sharply on the forehead. Arthur began to step backwards, but he didn't even managae to finish the movement before darkness closed over him and unconsciousness rushed in like a cloud of mist. The only thing he knew of was that one sentence echoing in his head.

_Now we are one._

_Now we are one._

_Now we are one..._

**Whoa, this chapter was much longer than I thought it was going to be but I had to get the whole Uther/Arthur/Merlin thing out of the way. Now that things have cooled down between them, things with everyone else can start to heat up... :D Things are about to get nasty! BTW the limp! and angst! is coming soon, I promise! Hope you enjoyed the chapter, please REVIEW!**

**Cookies to everyone who reviews!**

**SUPRNTRAL LVR.**

**P.S. Did anyone guess who the mysterious stranger in Arthur's chambers was?**


	3. Golden Eyes

**Disclaimer: As much as I would like to, I don't own Merlin!**

As soon as Merlin stepped off the staircase and onto the flat rock jutting out into the huge underground cavern, the dragon came spiralling out of the darkness. It landed before him, its jaws bared in a huge grin.

"Merlin! These very walls have been singing with magic!"

"Nimueh is dead," Merlin said flatly. "Everyone in Camelot knows my secret, and I have a really, really bad feeling. How was your day?"

"Nimueh is dead?" the dragon repeated. "Are you sure? She is a powerful sorcceress."

"I'm sure," Merlin replied. "Its not her I'm worried about anyway. Uther is about five minutes away from executing me."

"Is Arthur with you?"

"Yes, but-"

"You and Arthur will find a way," the dragon told him, nodding. "You are two-"

"Alright, alright!" Merlin said quickly. "I know all that. But Uther is going to make my life hell for as long as he can. He wants to destroy me and he always will, no matter what I do."

"Uther will not be a problem for you," the dragon said flippantly, picking at his teeth with a claw. "There is very little he can do to you with Arthur behind you. What of this feeling you mentioned?"

"I don't know," Merlin muttered, shaking his head. He sat down, leaning back against the wall, twiddling the torch between his fingers. "It started in the forest on our way back. I just felt... felt like something was wrong. Like we were being watched. And ever since I stepped within the gates of Camelot there's been _something..._"

He raised a trembling hand to his head, cradlling his head in his palm. He felt suddenly drained, as if he had not eaten in days. Come to think of it, he couldn't remember the last time he had had a good nights sleep.

"You must learn to tell the difference between a magician's instinct and the paranoia of an exhausted boy, Merlin," the dragon said. "You have had a long journey, and yet you are the most powerful being to walk the earth for years. Do you believe your 'feelings' are more than just products of a tired mind?"

Merlin thought for a moment, and then sighed and leant his head back against the wall. "I don't know. How should I know?"

"Only you _can _know."

Merlin shut his eyes. "One day, I will come to you with a question, you will give me a straight answer and I will faint with shock."

The dragon laugh. "Ah, how can you expect to learn if you do not follow my teachings?"

"I'll sleep on it," Merlin decided. "Maybe tomorrow I'll be able to tell what these feelings mean. But Nimueh _is _dead, you can be sure of that."

The dragon frowned, but said nothing. A sudden chill ran down Merlin's spine and he looked up, as if he could see straight through the rocky cavern and into the castle above. The dragon watched him quietly.

"If you are debating whether to run back or not," he said after a few moments. "I would go now. I feel it too."

Merlin rose quickly to his feet, his eyes narrowing. "You felt that? So it isn't just me?"

The dragon returned his gaze with amber eyes. "What did you feel?"

Merlin hesitated. Then he spoke. "That Arthur is in trouble."

"Then why are you still lingering here?"

Merlin blinked at him for a moment, and then span around and sprinted back up the steps. He slammed the torch back into its hold on the wall and ran out into the courtyard. It was nearing evening now, the sun sinking towards the horizon. Merlin ran across to the castle, leaping deftly up the steps. Arthur had been going to Gaius's chambers to have his head wound looked at. Would he still be there? Merlin pushed his way through the doors, and two guards leapt to attention. He shot them a scowl and raced down the corridor. By the time he reached Gaius's chambers, however, the chilling feeling of unease had vanished. He slowed down outside the doors, frowning, and then shook his head and pushed the door open anyway.

"Merlin!" Gaius exclaimed. "There you are! Gwen was here looking for you earlier. Where did you get to?"

Merlin looked around. "Where did Arthur go?"

"Arthur?" Gaius rose to his feet at the table, arching one eyebrow questioningly. "I don't know."

"He hasn't been here?"

"No, but-"

Merlin turned and strode back out again. What now?

_Arthur's chambers._

He made for the stairs. He reached Arthur's chambers a few moments later, and felt a rush of alarm to see the doors hanging open. Calling Arthur's name, he quickened his pace and moved through them. Arthur lay on the floor on his back, his forehead still bleeding a little, his eyes closed. Merlin's eyes widened - he darted forwards and crouched down beside the Prince, grabbing his arm.

"Arthur! Arthur, answer me!"

Arthur's eyes slid open and he blinked owlishly before turning his head to look at Merlin. "Oh... its you," he said.

Merlin let out a short laugh of exasperation. "Yes, its me! Now what are you doing on the floor?"

Arthur looked around, and then slowly eased himself upright. Merlin put a steadying hand on his shoulder. He scanned the room, and then looked again at Merlin.

"Where did he go?"

"Who?"

"That man, he had long hair..." Arthur was mumbling, lifting a trembling hand to point at the window. "He was right there!"

Merlin frowned, looking from the window to Arthur and back again. "No one's here."

"But... but..."

Merlin sat back on his heels as Arthur spluttered. He wasn't sure what to think. Had someone actually been here, or had it just been Arthur's head wound showing him dissappearing strangers? Shaking his head, Merlin took Arthur's shoulder and pulled him up to his feet.

"Come on. You should see Gaius."

"Merlin, he _was _there. I think he was... I swear, I saw... I don't know." Arthur sighed heavily, and raised a hand to his forehead to wipe at the blood. "I thought he spoke to me."

"What did he say?"

Arthur's brow furrowed as he tried to remember. "Something... something about being destroyed and pheonixes ruling the world or... I dunno. He said 'now we are one.'"

Merlin shrugged, pulling Arthur along the corridor. "Now we are one? What does that mean?"

"Search me, you're the one who's always going on about magic and riddles."

Merlin turned the words over in his mind. _Now we are one. _The phrase sent a shudder through him. He brushed it away, shaking his head. "How about we just get your head looked at. Then we can worry about riddles."

* * *

The next day dawned cold and crisp, the cool air creeping into Merlin's bed and waking him much earlier than he would have liked. For a few moments he remained still, hoping that somehow he could fall alseep again. However, when sleep refused to return, he groaned loudly and sat up. To tell the truth, it was still the best night's sleep he had had in a long time. He climbed out of bed and began to search for some clothes.

Gaius had almost completely convinced him that Arthur's story of a strange man in his room had been nothing more than a hallucination. Even Arthur himself had begun to agree that it had probably been a hallucination as Gaius had tended to his head. And, since the bad feeling had completely vanished, Merlin, too, was beginning to doubt the story. It could have been nothing.

But it could have been something.

Gaius was still asleep when Merlin emerged from his room, and so he crept through the chamber and out into the corridor beyond. He didn't want to disturb the older man. Instead, he made for the doors of the castle, hoping to get some air. Besides, he didn't want to be anywhere near Uther just yet. He breifly considered going to see Arthur or Gwen, but then decided that it was too early. Arthur had described the man, but had said very little. Apparently it had been a very young man, pale skinned with long black hair and almost completely soaked through. Zombie-like. It certainly sounded like someone out of a nightmare. Merlin reached the doors and slipped outside.

His breath fogged in that air before him, and he shivered as the chilly air bit through his clothes. Hardly anyone was about yet, and for that he was thankful. He didn't really want to have anyone staring at him just now. He headed through the village towards the gates, hoping to take a walk outside where he wouldn't have to endure any of the townsfolk. The few people who were up were too busy making preperations for the day to notice or recognize him. His confidence growing, he took a shortcut between two small houses. He was nearly there now. He could take a left here and-

A sharp gasp and then a crash came from somewhere beside him and he stopped, looking up. A little girl had just emerged from her house holding a pot of water, and upon seeing him had dropped it. It had shattered into thousands of tiny fragments, the water already soaking into the ground. Merlin wavered, unsure of whether to leave or not. She looked down at the ruined bowl and her eyes filled with tears, her hands flying to her mouth. Sympathy beating his common sense, Merlin moved over to her.

"Its okay, don't worry," he said quickly, reaching for the fragments. "Look, I'll fix it for you, okay?"

"Mummy will be angry..."

"No, no," he said, shaking his head. "I'm gonna fix it."

He reached out a hand and muttered a quick spell. The fragments rose into the air and fused together, forming the pot once more in a few seconds. Merlin lifted his other hand, still muttering, and the water surged up out of the ground. It span around in a clear, sparkling arc and dived back into the bowl. Merlin took hold of the bowl, releasing it from the spell, and held it out to her. She took it, wide eyed.

"There. Okay?"

A smile tweaked at her lips. "Do something else!" she whispered.

"More!" another voice cried, and Merlin flinched around to see a boy a little younger than her standing just behind him. "More, more!" he cried, clapping his hands.

A slow smile spread over Merlin's face. "Alright," he said, grinning. He lifted a hand and turned his palm towards the sky, summoning up the magic once more. A tongue of emerald green fire leapt into the air, hissing, and then twisted and became a huge, sparkling crystal. He heard a loud gasp and looked up. His smile faded. A woman had appeared in the doorway and was staring at him, one arm curling around her daughter protectively. Merlin swallowed hard. Then he forced a smile and stood up, clicking his fingers. The crystal vanished, replaced by a single white rose. He held it out, an apology.

"Sorry," he said. "They wanted to see some magic."

She gaped at him, and then slowly took the rose. Her cheeks flushed slightly. Merlin smiled, shrugged and then turned and walked away, trying to keep his pace at a casual rate. The little boy clutched at his hand as he went.

"Show me more!" he begged.

"Later," Merlin said. "Later."

The boy's face fell, but he stood back to let Merlin pass. Merlin moved quickly out of the tiny street and into a larger one. The breif encounter with the children had made him feel strangely elated, as if all his troubles had been stripped away by their innocence. They hadn't seemed to have minded his magic, they had even found it entertaining. Smiling, Merlin reached the gates and a guard stepped into his path, picking at his spear in a bored fashion.

"Our Lord and King requests that anyone entering or leaving the kingdom of Camelot before or after hours should be questioned on the nature of his or her's journey and unless a valid reason is st..." The guard had looked up for the first time near the end of his speech and froze, gazing at Merlin in shock, his mouth hanging open. "I... wha... S-Sorccerer..."

"Actually, my name is Merlin," Merlin informed him. "I was going for a walk. If its some kind of huge problem-"

The guard stumbled back out of the way, waving him on. "N-no, just go! I'm so sorry, I didn't... excuse me!"

He turned and practically ran across the road. Merlin bit back a laugh and nodded, walking out through the gates. On second thoughts, being The Sorccerer did seem to have its perks. He didn't exactly want to strike fear into the heart of the everyday villager, but it seemed that he could get anywhere and do anything he wanted now. He moved across the drawbridge and stepped onto the rough path that ran alongside the forest. He began to walk along it, shoving his hands deep into his pockets. His thoughts turned once more to Uther. He wondered if the King would try to talk to him today, or even set the guards on him. How long would it be before the strained peace broke? He was almost certain that Arthur did not know what he was doing, or at least couldn't handle whatever he was planning. But then, how could he and Arthur ever work together if Merlin couldn't trust him? He wanted to - he truly did - but Arthur was sometimes so reckless and irresponsible, and Merlin was going to get the worst of the consequences of his mistakes. If only he could -

A flicker of movement between the trees. Merlin stopped, looking up. It had been such a fleeting glimpse that he could have imagined it. He frowned, his eyes racing over the shadows. Sunlight streamed between the trees, glittering gold flowing over the melody of greens and browns. Flys flitted lazily through the air and birds sang carelessly from their nests. Flowers nestled between the fallen leaves and in the bushes which rose up out of the ground. Merlin stood still, blinking. It must have been nothing. A trick of the light. So why wasn't he leaving?

Because, deep in his stomach, he could feel that sense unfurling once more and creeping up his spine. He shuddered. Suddenly the beautiful forest seemed too perfect and darkly ominous. Merlin swallowed hard. Then, preparing himself, he lifted his chin and stepped forwards into the trees. At once, all birdsong vanished and the sun seemed to shrink back behind the clouds. Merlin stopped, lifting his hand.

"Show yourself!" he shouted. "I know you're here, I can feel you!"

"You don't dissappoint, Emrys," a low voice said.

Merlin turned, flinching. A young man was standing between two large trees. He was tall but thin and lanky, and his hair hung around his face like dark curtains. His skin was pale, almost translucent, but his eyes were a vivid, glittering green. He stepped forwards. Merlin forced himself to keep his ground, his hands unconsciously balling into fists at his sides.

"Who are you?" he demanded. "How do you know that name?"

"You mean Emrys?" the young man cocked his head. "That's what they call you, isn't it?"

Merlin shook his head, shrugging the words off. "Who are you?" he repeated.

The man smiled. It was a blank, dead smile, as if the expression had been forgotten long ago by the body. "Brilliant as you are, you still don't use your power." He took another few paces forwards. "Don't you remember me?"

Merlin stared at him. "I've never met you before in my life."

"Sure about that?"

Before Merlin could reply, the man lifted a hand, flexing his fingers. A cold, red orb flickered into life between his fingertips, pulsating sharply. Merlin's eyes widened - this man could do magic?

"Maybe this will joy your memory," he snarled, the sudden venom in his voice alarming. His eyes shone golden. Then he thrust his hand forwards, and the orb flew into the air. Merlin was so shocked that he didn't even think about ducking; the orb hit him squarely in the chest. It lifted him off his feet and sent him flying backwards. He hit the hard wood of a tree and his head snapped backwards. Light exploded before his eyes. Then everything vanished.

**Yeah, cliffhanger! I thought it was about time for some action. :D Hope you enjoyed the chapter, please REVIEW!!!!**

**SUPRNTRAL LVR.**


	4. Firey Depths

**Disclaimer: As much as I would like to, I don't own Merlin!**

**I feel I should apologise for the cruel cliffhanger in the last chapter... but then where would the fun be? ;) Expect many more evil cliffhangers from me, because I love the suspense! I'm actually really enjoying this story, more so than I thought I would. So, we left Merlin in the woods...**

Merlin surged back to consciousness with a sharp jerk. He scrambled to his feet, swayed, and grabbed at the tree behind him for balance. He couldn't have been unconscious for more than a few seconds: the stranger had only just begun to walk closer to him, a smirk playing about his thin lips.

"You know magic?" Merlin asked, his voice shaking slightly with the shock of what had just happened. "How? Who are you?"

"I was like you! I was once brave and pure and _noble_!" He spat the last word, as if it were a curse. "What is it like, Emrys, to have people worship you like a god?"

"No one worships me!" Merlin cried. "I'm barely even trusted-"

The man laughed, a short, humourless sound. "For a great wizard your Sight is sorely neglected," he snarled. Without warning, he thrust out one hand again. This time, Merlin moved quicker. As the glowing orb lit up once more, Merlin slashed his hand down through the air and then out towards his enemy.

"_Sectiserum!" _he roared, acting on impulse.

Fire burst from his palm and surged straight into the other man, knocking him backwards off his feet. With a rushed incantation the man waved it away, breathing hard, burns lingering on his left hand. Merlin jerked his hand upwards.

_"Aervoxna!"_

A sharp tongue of air whipped upwards, sending the man flying backwards through the air with an almightly blow. Merlin strode forwards as the man hit a tree and crumpled to the ground, gasping.

"I don't want to fight you," Merlin told him. "We can take this slowly, talk through whatever it is I've done that's upset you so much. This will get us nowhere."

The man looked up, his teeth bared in a savage snarl. He punched out a hand, but the light that appeared there wavered and vanished in seconds. The man swore under his breath, sweat beading on his forehead.

"Damn this body! Feeble human..."

Merlin's eyebrows leapt upwards. Exactly who - or what - was he fighting? He crouched down so as to be on the same level as the man, who was beginning to shake.

"Are you alright?"

He caught a short glimpse of golden, burning eyes before something unbelievably hard and hot slammed into him. He felt himself cast upwards into the air, felt branches snapping as he flew backwards. He hit the ground hard and rolled backwards, skidding to a halt in the dirt on his back. A startled neigh sounded from beside him - he looked up to see a merchent restraining his terrified horse with an expression of disbelief plastered over his face.

"S-Sorccerer..."

Merlin painfully rose to his feet, wincing at the sharp pain in his shoulder. He shot a panicked glance at the forest only to see his attacker stepping out of the trees, his hands balled into fists at his sides. Merlin's stomach jerked.

"Get into Camelot, quickly," he hissed to the merchent, waving him back. "Run to Arthur and tell him I have encountered some trouble."

The merchent blinked. Merlin's eyes narrowed. "Go!" he snapped.

As the merchent turned and hurried way, tugging his horse behind him, the rival warlock sent a ball of red fire spinning towards them. Merlin flung out an arm, desperation making him babble the spell in panic.

_"Aguaixen!"_

A small wave of sparkling water rose up, meeting the fire halfway. Both elements vanished, replaced by a billowing cloud of black smoke. The man smirked.

"Very clever, Emrys," he said. "Lets see you call up enough to deal with _this!"_

He spat out the fire spell, and a terrible wall of flames darted up behind Merlin. As Merlin stumbled backwards, the fire raced out on both sides, encircling the stone walls of Camelot in seconds. Merlin gazed up at the destruction in horror as screams errupted behind the flames. He put out a hand, but the flames only surged higher at his touch, refusing to die. He span around.

"Call them off!" he yelled. "Please!"

The man grinned, his head cocking to one side. Then, abruptly his smile vanished and he grabbed his head with both hands, moaning in pain. Merlin hesitated, thouroughly confused, but before he could decide what to do the man straightened up with an effort and called, "Enjoy the fireworks. My time is up." His eyes glowed and he vanished, melting into the air like the smoke billowing from the flames. Merlin turned back to the fire.

_"Aguaixen!" _he cried desperately, but the tiny waves of fire did next to nothing to slow the flames. Merlin tore at his hair, panicking.

"Merlin!"

He froze. A voice from the other side of the flames... he looked up. Arthur had appeared at the battlements, leaning right over to shout to him.

"Merlin, do something!"

Merlin shook his head, but the words 'I can't' died on his lips. He couldn't let them down. He had to try. Shutting his eyes tightly, he dug down deep and then lifted both hands, his fingers outstretched.

_"Desconsisto! Madrix tan desconsisto!"_

The fire died a little, the larger flames still snatching greedily at Camelot like the hands of the devil. Merlin could feel his legs shaking wildly, but he couldn't stop now. _Come on! _He punched a hand forwards.

_"Madrix tan DESCONSISTO!"_

The fire roared like a wounded beast, and then abruptly vanished leaving nothing but a wide, burned ring on the ground. Merlin sank to his knees, his whole body shaking, struggling to draw in breaths. The last time he had executed magic that hard was when he had killed the Griffin months ago, and it had had the same effect on him then. He placed both hands on the ground, blinking away the black dots that were rushing in on his vision. He had to stay awake. He wasn't going to faint last time, he couldn't embarrass himself like that _again... _It seemed like only a few seconds had passed to him, but it must have in truth been much longer when Arthur's hands suddenly came down on his shoulders. He forced his eyes open, sucking in a rattling breath. Had he closed his eyes? He was _supposed _to be trying to stay awake...

"Merlin! Merlin, answer me!" Arthur was shaking him.

"Stopit," Merlin mumbled. "Mm fine..."

"What happened?"

Merlin took a few more deep breaths. He felt like he was going to be sick. "The man... from... your room..."

"You saw him?"

"He's... a sorccerer..."

"Did he bring the flames?"

Merlin nodded. Arthur stayed silent for a few moments, and then tightened his grip on Merlin's shoulders.

"C'mon, lets get you to Gaius. Think you can walk?"

Merlin didn't think he could walk, but he nodded anyway. Arthur stood up, gently pulling Merlin up to his feet beside him. Merlin's knees gave way at once and he sank towards the ground again, Arthur's arm quickly wrapping around his waist to keep him upright.

"Whoa, apparently not," Arthur muttered. "Come on, fair maiden, lets go before you swoon again."

Merlin managed a small smile at Arthur's feeble joke. However, the smile quickly faded as he took in the growing crowd that had gathered around them. A crowd that had just heard every word Arthur had just said.

"Shut up," he growled.

Arthur sniggered and began to move towards the gates, pulling Merlin's arm around his shoulders to support him better. Merlin knew that it would have been easier for Arthur to simply pick him up and put him over his shoulder like a child, and was grateful that Arthur wasn't insensitive enough to do so in front of the population of Camelot. They made their way through the village, moving slowly. People stared at them shamelessly, whispering to each other, some still holding buckets of water from fruitless attempts to put out the fire. Merlin would have cared more if he hadn't felt like he was about to pass out or be sick or possibly both at the same time.

"My father's furious," Arthur murmured to him. "He thought it was you who caused the fire."

Merlin groaned. "S'all I need..."

"Don't worry... told... stop it... honestly..."

Merlin blinked hard. Arthur's voice was drifting in and out; he had missed half of the last sentence. He felt Arthur's hand tighten around his wrist.

"Merlin... hear me... Hey!"

The Prince stopped moving and tapped him lightly on the cheek. Merlin flinched, the fog in his brain rapidlly thickening despite the grip Arthur had on him.

"S'ry... m'trying," he slurred out. "Arthur, I... I can't..."

"Merlin? Come on, stay awake," Arthur urged. "We're nearly there now."

But even as he spoke, darkness was rushing in on Merlin, unstoppable, thick blackness. Merlin blinked again, trying to concentrate on something, anything... Arthur's voice echoed slightly, ghostly and weird.

"Merlin? Merlin!

_Merlin!"_

* * *

Gwen had been fetching water from the well in the courtyard when the flames had leapt up beyond the castle walls. By the time she had reached the main road leading to the gates however, it had abruptly vanished. People were still shouting and gasping from the sudden shock, and she heard 'the Sorccerer' mentioned many times. She made her way forwards, her heart in her mouth, but even as she did so the crowd began to part and Arthur appeared, supporting a pale, trembling Merlin. He was heading for the castle, forced to move slowly due to Merlin's obvious weakness. As Gwen pushed forwards to get to them, Arthur stopped and tapped Merlin as the other boy slumped against him. Gwen saw a feirce concern leap into his face as the Prince raised his voice.

"Merlin!"

Gwen broke free of the crowd that was hanging back to watch in awe and confusion and reached the Prince and his manservant, taking Merlin's other arm and pulling it over her shoulder. She was slightly disgusted that none of the people watching had offered to help so far.

"What happened?" she asked in a whisper, looking into Merlin's face. He was deathly pale and sweat was beading on his forehead, his eyes flickering between half-open and lightly closed.

"Its like before," Arthur replied in a low voice. "I'm bringing him to Gaius."

She nodded. "Come on, then," she said steadily, her mouth set.

Arthur shot her a grateful smile for not pressing the matter further. Together they began to move towards the castle again, able to walk quicker with Gwen's help. A young woman pointed at them, whispering behind her hand to her friend, and Gwen shot her a glare.

"I wish they would _stop," _she muttered to Arthur. "Its horrible."

"They're confused. They don't know whether to trust him or not. And, remember, Merlin's the most interesting thing to happen to Camelot since my father was crowned."

"Gotta st-stop... stop f-fire," Merlin mumbled, the whispered words tumbling from his lips. "Fire... Ar-Arthur, there's f-fire..."

"Its okay, Merlin, you did it," Gwen assured him smoothly. "You've stopped the fire."

"We're going to see Gaius, remember?" Arthur reminded him.

"He.... called me... Emrys..."

"Who did?"

"T-the... the man..."

Gwen frowned and looked at Arthur questioningly. He gave a small shake of his head.

"Not here."

She sighed, but didn't speak again. Merlin fell silent too, leaning heavily on Gwen's shoulder. She doubted he had any idea where he was anymore. They reached the castle at last and within a few minutes were knocking awkwardly on Gaius's door. He opened it and stopped, his eyes widening.

"What-"

"I'll explain in a second," Arthur said, glancing down the corridor where a guard was watching them curiously. "Can we just get him inside?"

Gaius stood back, gesturing to the bed near the fireplace. Arthur and Gwen made their way over to it and Gwen stepped backwards, allowing Arthur to lower Merlin carefully onto the pillows. He started to step backwards but Merlin clutched at his sleeve, his eyes still closed.

"Nuh... protect Camelot..."

Gwen hastily touched his hand and Merlin released Arthur, allowing her fingers to slip into his instead.

"Now, tell me," Gaius said, moving closer. "What's going on? I heard people shouting about a fire; they were about to evacuate the castle."

"There _was _a fire," Arthur said, sitting down in the chair in the corner of the room and running a hand through his hair. "I don't know what happened but when I got to the battlements Merlin was trying to put it out. I think he drained himself again - like he did with the Griffin?"

"What did he say? What spell?"

Arthur frowned, trying to remember. "Something like... mad desconsisto or... I don't know. It was _something _desconsisto."

Gaius nodded and moved away to study a book at his desk. As he flicked through the pages, he asked, "How did the fire come about? It wasn't Merlin?"

"No!" Gwen said at once, and then looked quickly at Arthur. "Was it? It can't have been, he wouldn't-"

"No, I don't think it was," Arthur said. "There was someone else. Merlin said he looked like the man I thought I saw in my room last night."

Gaius and Gwen looked up sharply. "Are you sure?" Gaius asked.

Arthur nodded. "I didn't see him, but Merlin did. He said that it was the same man who caused the fire. I'm just thankful Merlin could stop it before it could do any real damage."

Gaius bit his lip and then looked down at the book again. "Here," he said. "Was it 'madrix tan desconsisto?"

"Yeah, that was it," Arthur said slowly, nodding.

Gaius looked relieved. "Well, at least this one wasn't a fatal one. He just needs some rest."

Gwen let out a sigh of relief, rubbing Merlin's limp hand. "Thank goodness. I was worried that... well." She smiled. "He's going to be fine."

"What does Uther think about it?" Gaius asked quietly. "The fire? He must have blamed Merlin."

"I'll sort it out, but no, he wasn't happy," Arthur said, grimacing. "I doubt this will help much in the Uther-magic relationship."

"Hopefully the villagers will be willing to accept it wasn't him," Gwen said. "The last thing we need is a mob."

"So typical..." They all flinched at Merlin's voice and looked down at him as he opened his eyes, looking up at them with a weak smile. "All I wanted... to do... was go for... a walk."

"Trouble does seem to follow you around these days," Gaius said, smiling. "How long have you been home? A day?"

Merlin grinned, closing his eyes again. "Not my fault... what's wrong... why'm I so..."

His voice trailed off as he frowned, as if trying to identify the problem alone. Gaius reached down to touch his shoulder supportively.

"You just overextended yourself a little. I suggest you go back to sleep for a few hours."

Merlin shook his head a little. "But... there was the man... in the forest... he had orbs of light..."

Gwen looked quickly at Arthur, but the Prince shook his head at them silently and leant forwards on his chair.

"We'll talk about that later," he said. "I'll send out some guards to look for him."

Merlin seemed a little comforted at this news. Gaius gestured to Arthur for help.

"We'll move you into your room, Merlin," he said. "It'll be quieter in there."

Merlin just nodded slightly. Gwen squeezed his hand one last time and then stepped aside to let Arthur and Gaius lift Merlin gently to his feet and half-drag, half-carry him into his bedroom. They emerged a few moments later, Gaius shutting the door softly behind him.

"What did he mean by 'orbs of light?'" Gwen asked.

Gaius shook his head. "I haven't the slightest idea."

"Find out what you can," Arthur said, adopting his usual 'I-am-Prince-of-Camelot-so-what-I-say-goes' tone. "And you, Gwen, shouldn't you be with Morgana?"

Gwen looked pleadingly at Gaius, who shook his head.

"Don't worry, Gwen, I'll keep an eye on Merlin," he said. "I'll tell him to find you when he's feeling more lifelike."

She sighed and nodded reluctantly. Arthur bit his lip.

"I suppose I'd better talk to my father." He scowled and glanced at Gaius. "If anything happens... well, just tell me, alright?"

Gaius nodded. "Yes, sire."

Arthur nodded and then, with a huge effort, tore himself away and made for the door. He had duties to attend to.

* * *

_I sat on a large rock, listening to the faltering beats of the boy's heart. I had almost failed in the forest with Emrys; this stupid body had almost given in under the strain from the magic. But at least the so-called 'Sorccerer' would have to explain to the king why Camelot was burning. I smiled. Those foolish mortals would not trust Emrys now, not if they believed he was evil. After all his companions all his 'friends' turned against him, then I would strike. Then I would bring him down, when he was completely alone... and he would be alone, I would make sure of that. With no one to hold his hand, Emrys would crumble like sand beteen my fingers. I felt the body I was using shake, and then let out a harsh cough. I ignored it. I would only need it for a few more weeks, and I didn't much care what happened to this boy anyway. He was just a tool. I pushed his jet black hair back, cocking my head as I watched the sky._

_At nightfall, I would return._

**Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Its much longer than usual - with a little luck you didn't all get bored and drift off halfway through! Please REVIEW! I only update if I get reviews!**

**SUPRNTRAL LVR.**


	5. Cursed

**Disclaimer: As much as I would like to, I don't own Merlin!**

Merlin opened his eyes to the evening sunlight streaming through his window. He rolled over onto his back, blinking slowly as the memory of the last few hours drifted back to him. He groaned and pressed both hands over his face.

He had pratically fainted in front of the whole village.

He sat up. His head swung a little and began to throb, but he felt much better than he had before. He climbed off the bed and moved down into Gaius's room. Gaius himself was sitting at his desk, examining a large book. Merlin walked slowly down the steps, touching the wall just in case his headache increased at all, but it remained a dull throb. Gaius reached for a quill, caught sight of Merlin and stood up so fast that his chair flew backwards and hit the wall.

"Merlin!" he gasped. "I wasn't expecting you to be up until tomorrow... how are you?"

Merlin smiled wearily. "Fine. Bit of a headache but... but fine."

"Sit down," Gaius said at once, gesturing to a chair.

Merlin did as he was told. Gaius retrieved a cup of water from the table and offered it to him.

"What kind of headache?" he asked. "Is that all you feel?"

Merlin nodded, sipping at the water. "Kind of like a throbbing... its not that bad," he said quickly as Gaius eyed the herbs on his work bench. He didn't want to have some disgusting ancient remedy forced down his throat. "Where's Arthur and Gwen?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

"Arthur left to speak to his father hours ago," Gaius replied. "Gwen returned to lady Morgana. And I think you should stay here and rest," he added warningly as Merlin rose to his feet.

"But I need to find out what Uther said," Merlin protested. "I only want to talk to Arthur for a moment."

Gaius scowled, but Merlin was already heading towards the door. "Don't be long!" the older man called after him as the door slammed shut.

Merlin moved along the corridor and up towards Arthur's chambers. He knocked once on the door and then pushed it open without waiting for a reply.

"I've told you, I don't want any assistance this evening!" Arthur snarled, spinning around from the fire. "Why can't..."

His voice trailed off as he took in Merlin, and his eyes widened. Then he shook himself and strode away to sit down in his armchair in front of the fire.

"You took your time," he muttered, clearly embarrassed after his little outburst.

Merlin grinned and moved inside, kicking the door shut behind him. "You haven't got another manservent, have you?" he asked.

Arthur shot him a smirk. "Oh please, Merlin, you'll always be my servent no matter what the peasants call you."

Merlin shook his head, smiling, and leant against the wall beside the fireplace. "Watch out, Arthur, I might turn you into a frog." He paused. "So... what did Uther say?"

Arthur cleared his throat. "Ah... well, he wasn't too pleased but I think I got him to calm down a little. At least he's not going to have you strung up or anything."

"Great," Merlin muttered.

"To be honest, its this mysterious stranger that I'm more worried about," Arthur said, reaching for a glass of wine on the table behind him. "Do you know anything about him at all?"

Merlin shrugged. "No, but the strange thing is that he knew _me. _He used my other name-"

"Your other name?"

"Ah, its what I'm known as among... others," Merlin replied hesitantly. "It's Emrys."

"Emrys," Arthur murmured. "Huh. Maybe you should make that your regular name, its much better than Merlin."

Merlin shook his head. "I don't like it. It makes me feel like... I don't know. Like something _else._"

Arthur watched him for a few moments, but Merlin didn't speak. Eventually Arthur broke the silence.

"Alright, then. This man, you said he knew you?"

Merlin nodded. "Yes... and he seemed to think that I should know him too. But I didn't recognize him at all."

"Sure?"

Merlin thought for a moment, and then nodded again. "I'm sure."

"Then I suppose the only question left is; how do we stop him," Arthur said.

Merlin stared into the fire. The silence between them showed that they were both thinking the same thing. Merlin swallowed hard.

"I don't want to kill anyone else."

Arthur looked up at him, his face cold and resigned. "You might not have a choice," he said quietly.

Merlin turned away, striding over to the window. He didn't want to face that fact just yet. Instead, he stared down into the courtyard of the castle, sighing heavily. The sun was sinking below the horizon, casting a red glow over the stones. It reminded Merlin of the fire that had occurred just hours eariler... he froze. There was a shadow moving towards the castle.

"Arthur..."

"What is it?"

The shadow stopped, lifted its head. The blood-red sunlight fell across its face, and Merlin flinched back from the window.

"Arthur! He's here!"

"What?"

"He's in the courtyard!"

Without waiting for Arthur to reply, Merlin turned and sprinted from the room. He raced down the corridor, thundered down the stairs and ran through the doors of the castle. His enemey smiled, folding his arms.

"Hello, Emrys. I see you put the fire out."

"Why are you doing this?" Merlin called. "Why do you hate me so much?"

"Merlin?"

Arthur had reached him. His eyes narrowed as he recognized the stranger and he drew himself up to his full height.

"You're not welcome in Camelot," he snapped. "Get out of here before I call the guards."

The man let out a short laugh. "Yes, set the guards on me," he said. "I'd enjoy that."

Merlin nudged Arthur gently as the Prince opened his mouth to retaliate. He stepped forwards, steeling himself. His headache sharpened abruptly, but he ignored it.

"There is no reason for this," he said. "What have we got to fight about?"

The man's smirk vanished. "You killed Nimueh!" he snarled. "What _haven't _we got to fight about?"

"She's what all this is about?" Merlin asked. "Nimueh? She was evil, she was-"

"She was _mine!_" the man roared. "You think she didn't have a life, didn't have..." he shook his head, unable to finish. He stabbed a finger at Merlin. "You will pay for what you've done," he vowed. "I will make sure of that."

"You won't get near him," Arthur snapped. "Because, unlike you, Merlin is _not _alone."

A smile inched onto the man's face once more. "Really? You're saying you would stick with Emrys through thick and thin? Through _anything?_"

The hairs on the back of Merlin's neck stood on end. He swallowed hard, but Arthur was already speaking.

"Yes," he snapped. "Through anything."

"Well then," the man said smoothly. "Lets test that theory, shall we?"

He flicked his wrist, words from the old religion hissing from his lips. Merlin flinched back, but nothing seemed to happen. Still, the man smiled and stepped back.

"I'll see you soon, Emrys."

"Wait!"

Merlin started down the steps. At once the man span around, lifting his hand. His eyes flashed gold, Merlin heard someone shout his name. Then he was falling into a void of darkness, completely and utterly alone.

* * *

Gwen was moving up the stairs, her arms laden with clean linen when she heard the crash. She looked up, her eyes widening.

"My lady?" she called.

She heard a dim shriek, and the linen fell from her hands. She raced up the steps, her voice rising shrilly.

"My lady!"

She reached the top of the stairs and threw open the door to Morgana's room. Morgana was on the floor, clutching at her desk, her eyes wide with panic. She was struggling to breathe, her face pale and blank.

"Gwen!" she gasped. "I... I can't..."

Her eyes rolled up in her head and she slumped to the floor, unmoving. Gwen's heart lurched and she dived forwards, grabbing Morgana and pulling her over onto her back.

"Morgana!" she cired, completely forgetting her title. "Morgana, wake up!"

She made no response. Gwen looked up at the sounds of footsteps - two guards had appeared at the door.

"Get help!" she ordered, tightening her grip on Morgana. "Hurry!"

They turned and ran. Gwen looked down at her, her heart in her mouth. "My lady... Morgana, please!"

How had this happened? Her mistress had been perfectly healthy just a few minutes ago, and yet now... Gwen swallowed hard, a hair-raising thought pressing against her mind. Magic... someone had cursed Morgana.

**I'm sorry this chapter was so short but the next one is going to be really important and I just had to fit this bit in beforehand. Hope you enjoyed it! Please REVIEW!!**

**SUPRNTRAL LVR.**


	6. Evil

**Disclaimer: As much as I would like to, I don't own Merlin!**

"Gaius, I'm alright," Merlin said thickly, wincing as Gaius pressed a cloth against the back of his head to stem the heavy flow of blood. "Stop it, that hurts..."

Gaius slammed his hands away, his face taught with anxiety. "Merlin, if you interrupt me one more time..."

His voice trailed off threateningly. Merlin gasped with pain as Gaius increased his pressure. The large bloody gash in his skull was thanks to his latest enemy, the man they had encountered in the courtyard - he had thrown Merlin back against the castle and introduced Merlin's head to a sharp stone corner. When Merlin had come to, the expression of horror on Arthur's pale face was enough to tell him how bad he looked. Now, as he looked up, the look Arthur was wearing at that moment as he watched them from across the room was exactly the same. Merlin shut his eyes and steeled himself as Gaius began to dab at his head with a foul-smelling liquid.

"So you still have no idea who he is or what he wants?"

"Well, I don't think he's looking for new friends," Arthur growled, seemingly eager to have something else to focus on rather than the blood pumping out of Merlin's head. "He's bad news. The only thing we need to think about is how to get rid of him."

"He knew Nimueh," Merlin said, his words slurring together. "He said, 'she was mine.' What do you think he meant by that?"

"Who cares?" Arthur demanded. "The only important thing is that we stop him from destroying Camelot-"

He broke off as the door burst open and a guard appeared, red in the face and panting hard. "Gaius!" he cried. "You're needed upstairs, Lady Morgana, she's unconscious and Uther says..."

He stopped as he took in Merlin and the blood drying slowly in his hair. Gaius hesitated, a worried frown creasing his forehead.

"I can't leave right now-"

"Its alright, Gaius," Merlin said quickly, sliding his hand upwards to take hold of the cloth. "You go, I'll heal this myself when my head clears a bit."

Gaius faltered, torn. "I... oh alright, then!" he snatched up his bag and moved to the door. "Merlin, don't you dare do anything strenuous," he threw over his shoulder as he followed the guard.

Merlin managed a smirk and took the cloth away from his head. "Arthur, can you pass me that book?"

Arthur glanced around and then picked up the book he had indicated and passed it to him. Merlin began to flick through it, the words wavering before his eyes as his head throbbed insistently.

"You're sure you can heal that yourself?"

Merlin nodded. "Yeah. I just need a few minutes..." he broke off as the pain abruptly swelled and shut his eyes until it passed. Then he continued. "A few minutes to get myself together again."

Arthur opened his mouth - and the door banged open for a second time. They both flinched and looked up as a second guard barrelled into the room.

"Prince Arthur - sire - his majesty is asking to see you."

"Tell him I can't right now," Arthur began, but the guard shook his head.

"I'm sorry sire, he was most insistent. He wouldn't take no for an answer."

Arthur sighed heavily and then nodded. "Fine," he muttered, straightening up. "I'll be back as soon as I can, Merlin."

He and the guard left the room quickly. Merlin tried to focus on the book but his head was still roaring with pain. He closed his eyes, trying to collect himself, and wondering fleetingly what was wrong with Morgana.

* * *

Arthur entered his father's hall to see Uther sitting motionless on his throne, staring into nothing. The king blinked and looked up as Arthur approached and then got to his feet.

"Have you heard?" he asked in a carefully controlled voice.

Arthur frowned. "Heard what?" he asked. Did his father know about their encounter in the courtyard?

Uther's lips twitched. "About Morgana," he said quietly. "She has been cursed."

Arthur stared at him. His mind had resorted to single word sentences. "What? Cursed? How? When?"

Uther wet his lips. He, too, seemed shocked; his eyes had a glazed, blank look about them. He cleared his throat and then spoke slowly. "Her maid found her almost unconscious in her room. I've been up there already, I've seen her... I recgonize this magic, I have seen it before."

"What can we do?"

"There is very little we can do," he replied, turning towards the window. "Gaius could not cure the victim last time and I doubt he will this time."

Arthur gazed at him, aghast. "How can you talk like that?" he demanded. "We cannot just give up on her! She's... this is _Morgana..."_

"And what would you have me do?" Uther growled furiously, spinning around to face him. "Work up a miracle? Ask your little sorccerer pet for help?"

"Yes!" Arthur said, hope flaring up in him. "Merlin! Merlin can help her, Merlin will save her."

"It was Merlin and his magic that brought us here in the first place!" Uther roared. "Ever since he came here, nothing but evil has come to Camelot! If he wasn't here, Morgana would be smiling and laughing right now! It is all his fault and deep down, you know it!"

"Merlin is not evil-"

"Merlin may not be evil, for all I know he is the purest soul in Camelot," Uther said. "But that is what magic does to good people. It corrupts them, it destroys them and I have seen it happen before."

"But..." Arthur swallowed hard. The shock of what had happened to Morgana was still shaking him, still pushing its way into his head. "But I _know _Merlin-"

"But do you know the power possessing him? Magic cannot be controlled, Arthur," Uther said, striding away to sit down on his throne. "Haven't you seen that, when you saw Nimueh? I exiled magic for the greater good, so that nothing like this would ever happen again. Did you even know that he's been visiting the evil dragon I have chained under the castle?"

Arthur blanched. Merlin had been visiting that snake? He didn't know what to say. "I..."

"Its obvious that I cannot influence you now," Uther muttered. "Maybe its time you discovered the evils of magic for yourself. Go and see Morgana. Maybe then you will understand."

Arthur stood motionless. Then he turned away and strode out of the hall. He made his way up to Morgana's tower room. Gaius was inside already, bending over Morgana's bed, Gwen hovering anxiously beside him.

"What do you mean there's no cure?" she cried as Arthur entered. "You must be able to do something!"

"I'm sorry, Gwen," Gaius said, straightening up. "This curse is too powerful for me to break. I doubt even Merlin could do anything."

"How long does she have left?"

"A day, maybe more if she's lucky..." Gaius stopped quickly as he noticed Arthur. "Prince Arthur! Did you want some privacy?"

Arthur stared down at Morgana. Her skin was pale as marble against her dark hair, her eyes closed. She looked as if she were already dead. Magic had done this to her... he swallowed hard, trying to fight through the huge range of emotions that were rolling through him - fear, anger, grief, horror, shock... _rage. _A cold, dark rage that he had not felt for a very long time. He turned away without replying and strode out of the room.

* * *

Arthur leant heavily against the window in his room, looking down at the empty courtyard below. He felt as if someone had torn his chest apart, leaving a raw, gaping hole behind. The rage flickered between his thoughts, stopping him from thinking clearly.

_Merlin would never hurt anyone..._

_But ever since he arrived more people have been hurt than in the last decade..._

_He doesn't abuse his magic..._

_But I've never seen anything good come out of magical occurences..._

_Magic isn't evil..._

_Then why does something bad always happen when magic is involved?_

He took a deep breath, trying to collect himself, but he just couldn't when there were so many emotions burning inside him. A sudden knock on his door made him flinch, but he didn't turn. The door creaked open.

"There you are. I heard about Morgana."

_Merlin. _Arthur scowled, keeping his back turned.

"I tried to visit her but Uther's placed guards at the door and they won't let me through. Gaius said she didn't look good..."

"Why do you want to see her anyway?" Arthur muttered.

"Well, according to Gaius, I might be the only one who can save her if-"

"You think you're so special, Merlin!" Arthur roared, spinning around.

Merlin jerked back in surprise, but Arthur was beyond caring. Fury blinded him, coursing through his veins like poison. He took a step forwards and Merlin pulled away, his eyes widening.

"Arthur, calm down-"

"Don't you dare tell me to calm down after everything you've done! Why are you even here? Why couldn't you have stayed in your village with your precious mother instead of ruining my life?"

Merlin's eyes darkened. "Ruining your life? I _am _your life, Arthur! Its our destiny, we're two sides of the-"

"For god's sake, Merlin, I - don't -care! I don't care what your dragon said. What makes you think he knows everything anyway?" He glared at Merlin for a few moments, and then turned away abruptly and strode to the window."Just get out, Merlin," he snarled. "I don't want to look at you. I don't want to talk to you. I don't want anything to do with you."

"Where am I supposed to go? Your father-"

"GET OUT!"

Arthur's voice echoed through the room, silencing Merlin in seconds. He heard soft slow footsteps as Merlin turned and left. He shut his eyes and hit the wall hard with his fist, not even noticing the blood that began to trickle down his knuckles.

"My father was right," he whipsered. "Magic is evil."

**Gasp! Looks like the mysterious stranger is getting his wish - Merlin is slowly but surely being stripped of his firends... what will happen next? Please REVIEW!**

**SUPRNTRAL LVR.**


	7. Posessed

**Disclaimer: As much as I would like to, I don't own Merlin!**

Merlin sat on his bed with his arms wrapped around his legs, his knees drawn up to his chest, his eyes staring blindly at the wall. His mind was still replaying Arthur's final words to him in his head, as if thinking them over again would somehow make them less painful. No luck - the memory of them still stung sharp as nettles against his heart.

_"You think you're so special, Merlin!"_

_"Don't you dare tell me to calm down after everything you've done!"_

_"Just get out. I don't want anything to do with you."_

And then that final stab, those three words that had brought Merlin's entire world crashing down:

_"Magic is evil."_

Back when Arthur had been on his side, Merlin had half believed that they could get through anything. He had believed that the new magician who had decided that Merlin had a death wish could be beaten. He had believed that Uther would eventually accept him for who he was rather than just 'The Sorccerer.' He even believed that one day he would manage to fit in again and that Arthur would finally achieve his destiny. Now all of it seemed drained of colour. All of it was just out of reach, too far away to appear real. He couldn't hope for any of it.

The one question that had kept bouncing around his head returned once more, drilling into his mind. _Why? What made Arthur say those things? _Maybe it had been him. Maybe he had been leaning on Arthur too much. Or maybe it was his magic, finally striking fear into the prince. Or could it be that Arthur had begun to listen to his father, agree with him?

_Magic is evil._

Those were Uther's words, and yet here they were slipping through Arthur's lips. Could Arthur be turning into his father? How was Merlin supposed to guide Arthur to become the greatest king England had ever seen if the Prince was entirely against magic?

He couldn't bear to sit in his room alone any longer. He needed to see _someone_. He climbed off his bed and made his way out into the main room beyond. Gaius was at the table, scrambling to collect some herbs from one of his pots. Merlin hung back on the stairs, hesitating. But it was true - Gaius had been a father figure to him ever since he had arrived in Camelot. If Merlin could talk to anyone about this, it was Gaius.

"Gaius?"

Gaius glanced up and then looked quickly back at his desk. Merlin hesitated and then spoke again.

"Gaius, I really need to-"

"Merlin, I can't now," Gaius said heatedly, pilling various bottles and pots into his bag. "Uther is looking to me to act to do something for Morgana. I must try, do something to ease her passing..."

"I just-"

"I won't be back tonight," Gaius shot over his shoulder, heading for the door. "I have to go. Find some food for yourself, Merlin."

And then he was gone. Merlin shut his eyes, trying to hold down the sudden lump that had swollen in his throat. He had no idea why this was affecting him so badly, but he had never felt so alone in his life. If he was completely honest with himself, he had no real friends apart from Arthur and...

...and Gwen.

He stood frozen for a moment, and then made for the door. He pushed his way out into the corridor and ran around to the back entrance, slipping out into the courtyard. It was late evening and the sky was dark, rain spattering down over the stones. The rain soaked through his hair and clothes, sinking into his skin like the fangs of an evil beast. He quickened his pace and ducked down into the streets.

* * *

Gwen watched as Gaius sat beside Morgana, flicking feverishly through one of his medical books. On the other side of the room, Arthur was leaning against the wall, wringing his hands anxiously. Uther had not yet arrived.

"Come on, now!" Arthur cried suddenly, making them both jump. "Can't you do anything? For god's sake, look at her!"

Gwen did look at her. Morgana's hair fanned out on the pillow below her, a dark halo. Her skin was deathly pale and stretched over her bones too tightly, making her appear skeletal and unreal. Her eyes were dark hollows in her head, purple smudges lingering beneath them, and her lips were almost the same colour as her skin. It was as if all blood had drained out of her, along with her life. The sight of her made Gwen want to cry; she had never seen her mistress like this before.

Gaius rose to his feet, looking over at Arthur.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "None of these remedies can help. None of them will be able to do anything to save her."

"I know you can't save her! Why can't you make her more at peace?"

"This curse is too powerful to be destroyed by simple remedies," Gaius said dejectedly, shaking his head. "I'm sorry..."

Arthur turned away, pressing his forehead against the wall as if he could not bear to look any more. Gwen made her way over to him as Gaius returned to his book. She touched his arm, but he pulled roughly away.

"Don't touch me."

"Sorry, sire," she whispered. "I know this is out of place, but I can't help thinking that maybe Merlin would be able to help us here? He might be able to save her..."

"Merlin's done enough."

Gwen looked at him again, her eyes widening. "What? What on earth do you mean by that? He's done all he could to save Camelot, yes!"

"Merlin has brought nothing but hatred and darkness to Camelot," Arthur snarled at her. "I won't let him destroy Morgana too."

"Morgana will die if Merlin is not there to save her!" Gwen cried. "Arthur, why are you saying these things? These are Uther's words, not yours..."

"Maybe my father was right!" he snapped, whirlling to face her. "Maybe I should have listened to him more than I did."

Gwen stared at him. "Or maybe," she said coldly. "You should remember who has stood by you from the beginning!"

Unable to look at him any longer, she turned away and strode to Morgana's side, sitting down next to her and reaching for her cold, limp hand. Arthur gazed at her blindly, his toughts wrestling one another wildly inside his head. Then he turned away and shut his eyes, blocking out the world.

* * *

He stood in the rain, waiting. No one came. He glanced over his shoulder and noticed a woman coming out of a house behind him to collect a bucket from beside the gutter. He turned to face her.

"Excuse me?"

She looked up and then froze, her eyes widening. "Oh..."

"I'm sorry," he said quickly. "I just wanted to ask, is Gwen at home? The woman who lives here?"

The woman shook her head. "She hasn't been home."

Merlin shut his eyes, and then forced a smile and nodded. "Thanks," he muttered, turning away. He moved away, walking in a random direction. The rain drove down on him, whipping across his skin like a lash. He suppressed a shudder, trying to fix his mind on something other than the fact that there was no one around who he could talk to. No one trusted him. And of course Gwen was with Morgana too, probably just as furious with him as everyone else was.

And then it happened, so sudden that he barely had time to take in what was happening.

A cold hand closed over his shoulder and tore him back into the shadows beside the outer wall of Camelot, slamming him back against the stone. Merlin looked up to find himself face to face with his enemey, hair hanging lank and wet about his face, eyes burning.

"Hello, Emrys," he snarled. "What are you doing wandering around out here... and so alone?"

Merlin struggled to grab hold of himself, reaching deep inside for his magic. But where he usually felt that familiar pulse of strength, there was nothing. He shut his eyes again, trying desperately to get at it, and the man's hand tightened on him.

"Don't worry, Emrys," the man growled. "Everything is going perfectly to plan. This is just the next stage."

He slammed a fist forwards into Merlin's stomach, forcing the breath out of him. Merlin doubled over, gasping and choking, and the man took a few steps backwards. He spread his hands, tilting his head back.

"Open up," he whispered.

Merlin looked up in time to see a blinding golden light errupt from the man's chest. The man tumbled to the floor, motionless, and the golden light surged forwards. It hit Merlin full on. For a few seconds, he felt nothing but confusion. And then the pain came. An agony so sharp and destructive that it forced him down to his knees, ripping a piercing scream from his mouth. His body jerked and spasmed as the pain rolled through him, wild and furious. He felt as if his head were being ripped in two, as if his whole body was being scorched in a ferocious fire. He had been cast into hell... he was dying...

_Arthur, help me..._

His vision exploded before him in dots of black and white, blotting out everything else in sight and he felt himself falling, not to the ground but backwards into his own mind... he was shrinking away into nothing. He tried to hold on to something, anything, but there was nothing left to hope for. He was being destroyed... and then, suddenly, it all stopped and he was crouched alone on the ground, his body heaving with great gasps and shaking wildly. He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm his racing heart.

And his body stood up.

That was exactly as it felt like. He did not move at all, but his body rose to its feet on its own accord and looked down at the limp form of the man in front of him. Then it turned and began to walk back towards the castle. Merlin tried to stop but... but he couldn't _move_. He wasn't even breathing... he couldn't speak...

_Stop! _he screamed silently in his head. _Stop! What's wrong with me? STOP!_

A slow, dark laugh rose up from within him and burst through his lips. The lips moved, speaking with his voice, the same and yet so entirely different.

"There's no use in screaming. I'm in control now."

**Sorry this chapter was a little shorter than usual! I also may not have much time to post an update for a while because I'll be in Sweden for a week. I'll do my best to steal my friend's computer! Please REVIEW!**

**SUPRNTRAL LVR.**


	8. Consumed

**Disclaimer: As much as I would like to, I don't own Merlin!**

By the time Gaius returned to his chambers his eyes were aching with tiredness and his limbs seemed to drag about him like useless, numb logs. He had spent the last few hours doing everything he could for Morgana, and had achieved next to nothing. Arthur had retired to his room a while ago, but Gaius doubted that he would get any sleep. Gwen had faithfully remained beside Morgana, although there was very little she could do either. Uther had been up a few times, never staying long. It was in his last visit that he gave Gaius permission to leave, the dead, resigned tone explaining to the physician that he had already given up. He didn't know how much longer Morgana had, but he would guess at less than a day.

The whole castle was dripping with despair.

Gaius stepped into his chambers and dropped his bag onto his desk, slumping down in his chair. He looked around for Merlin, but there was no candle lit in his room and he was nowhere to be seen. He frowned and then shook his head. Perhaps he had gone out to find Arthur. Gaius rubbed both hands over his eyes and then rose to his feet to prepare for bed. He couldn't wait to just stop thinking, stop worrying if only for a few hours...

The door opened and Gaius fought down a groan of fustration. He turned. Gwen was standing in the doorway, her eyes still shimmering with unshed tears.

"Gaius... oh, I'm so sorry, I just need some more wolfsbane, I've run out..."

Gaius's heart melted for the girl. "Gwen," he said gently. "I'm sorry, but it won't help-"

"I know," she said quickly. "I just... I have to do _something._ Please."

Gaius nodded, understanding, and moved away to collect the herb. Gwen leant against the wall in silence, occasionally sniffing softly. Suddenly the door opened for a second time, and Gaius glanced up to see Merlin.

"Merlin," he said, offering a small smile. "There you are."

Merlin frowned at him and then looked around the room, completely ignoring him. Gaius arched an eyebrow but then shook his head and went back to his herbs. It was a difficult time for them all - perhaps Merlin was just upset.

"There's been no change with Morgana," Gwen said sadly. "Isn't there any way we could sneak you up there to help her? I'd help, I'd take the risk..."

Merlin turned to look at her, his eyes detatched and cold. His brow creased distastefully, as if he was looking at something nasty he had stepped in. "Who are you?" he demaned. "Last time I checked, worker scum don't talk to their betters."

Gaius, who had been holding out the wolfsbane to her, froze in horror. He stared open-mouthed at Merlin, unable to believe what he had just heard. Gwen's eyes were wide and tearful with shock and confusion, and worst of all, hurt. Without another word, she took the wolfsbane and ran from the room, barely managing to suppress a sob. Merlin tutted coldly and turned back to face Gaius, stepping into the room.

"Those slaves should be seperated from the rest of us. Its disgusting to look at them."

_"Merlin!"_ Gaius cried, aghast. "What are... how can you... why would you say such a thing to Gwen?"

Merlin arched an eyebrow at him. "So they have names now, do they? Never mind." He rubbed his temple, a look of deep concentration flitting over his face. "You're Gaius, aren't you?"

Gaius was so thrown by Merlin's behaviour that he could no longer speak. Instead he just nodded blankly and slumped down in the chair. He pointed at the door. "You get out there and apologise to Gwen right now, Merlin!"

Merlin smirked. "I don't recall you being my father."

Gaius felt the blood drain from his face. Ever since Merlin had arrived in Camelot, he had been like the son Gaius had never had. Merlin _knew _that. Why was he saying such things? Those words were just so cold, so icy... he opened his mouth to question the boy again, but the door opened and a guard appeared, a limp figure hanging from his arms.

"Gaius, this man was found in the streets. We cannot wake him. Can you help?"

Gaius slowly tore his gaze away from Merlin. "What? Oh... yes, yes, bring him over here."

The guard placed the man on the bed Gaius indicated and retreated from the room. Shooting one last glance back at Merlin, Gaius bent over his new patient. He was a young man, wet black hair straggling around his face, his skin unearthly pale. His eyes were dark hollows in his head, and his chest was barely moving as he drew shallow, weak breaths in and out. But there was something about him that made Gaius uneasy... yes. He looked almost exactly like the enemy Merlin and Arthur had described. He straightened up quickly.

"Merlin, come and look!"

Merlin moved over to them. He looked down at the man. For a few moments he just stared in silence. Then he burst out laughing, the sound so strange and abrupt that Gaius flinched. That laugh was so evil, so dark, nothing like the Merlin Gaius knew. The old man felt tempted to shake him, to destroy whatever had turned Merlin's mind.

"Merlin!" he cried. "Stop that!"

Merlin doubled over, his eyes watering with mirth. He continued to cackle wildly, his lips drawing back from his teeth, like an animal. Gaius reached out to touch him, and then pulled his hand back, shouting again instead.

_"Merlin!"_

Slowly, Merlin's chuckles subsided and he straightened up, wiping at his eyes. "Ah, haha... sorry, its just the ridiculous irony of this whole kingdom. The ties here are so close that it is laughable... as you no doubt noticed..." he bent over the motionless figure. "You just won't die, will you? I must admit, I was sick of your face months ago."

That voice did not belong to Merlin. The body was Merlin's, the face was Merlin's, but the eyes, the words, the actions... Gaius felt a shudder rush through him. He stepped back until his back hit the desk, moving a hand discreetly across it in a vain search for some kind of weapon.

"You are not Merlin, are you?"

Merlin - or the person impersonating Merlin - turned and surveyed Gaius with a cool, sniggering smile.

"No, and for that fact I am extreamley thankful."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Loiran. And I will tear this kingdom to the ground for what your precious Merlin did to Nimueh."

"No..."

Merlin - no, _Loiran - _flicked his hand to the side and an invisable force snatched at Gaius and slammed him against the wall. He slid down it, landing in a crumpled heap at the bottom. Loiran stepped forwards and then stumbled, his eyes wide with surprise. He let out a groan of pain and clutched at his head.

"Nuh-no!" he snarled. "I'm in control, its _my _body now..." His head suddenly snapped up, and wide eyes fixed on Gaius's. Eyes that flickered with golden light and shone with truth. Merlin's eyes. "Gaius!" he gasped. "You have to kill him... he's going to kill Uther... Gaius, please, you must stop him! Arthur-" He broke off in a pained scream and then abruptly straightened him, the iciness returning to his face. "_Stop _interfering," Loiran growled.

He turned and strode towards the door. Gaius lay still in shock, one hand clutching at the wall as if searching for some anchor in reality. The final, desperate message from Merlin, the true Merlin, rang in his ears.

_You must stop him... he's going to kill Uther..._

Gaius's eyes widened in horror. He scrambled to his feet and gasped as his head swung. He must have hit it on the wall. Ignoring the pain, he stumbled towards the door. He had to get to Arthur, before it was too late.

**Sorry this chapter was so short but I felt terrible for not updating for so long because of my holiday to Sweden. Hopefully you all didn't get bored and leave! :D Please REVIEW!!!**

**SUPRNTRAL LVR.**


	9. Death

**Disclaimer: As much as I would like to, I don't own Merlin!**

**Thank you for all of the reviews so far. Reviews keep me writing! We're nearly at the end of this story now, so enjoy the last few chapters...**

Gaius reached Arthur's chambers and stumbled to a halt outside the door, hammering wildly on it with one fist as he did so. There was no answer. Giaus rapped on the door again, bitting his lip. Could the Prince have returned to Morgana? Or was he out somewhere wondering the kingdom? They were all running out of time. At this very second Merlin would be arriving at the great hall, possessed by a monster who wanted to kill Uther... the door suddenly swung open and Gaius fell forwards into the room, gasping in shock.

Arthur steadied him, the Prince's eyebrows leaping upwards at the sight of the old man.

"Gaius?" he asked, shocked. "What's going on? You're bleeding."

Gaius felt at the back of his head and then shook himself, pushing his mind back to the matter at hand. "It doesn't matter! Arthur, someone's trying to kill your father!"

Arthur, who had been helping Gaius over to a chair, froze in horror and then crouched down in front of him, gripping him tightly by the shoulders.

_"What?_" he cried. "What do you mean? Who?"

Gaius struggled to gather his thoughts. "I... Merlin... I think Merlin is possessed by a powerful sorccerer by the name of Loiran. He is going to kill your father - now!"

"Merlin...?" Arthur stared at him.

The last time he had encountered Merlin, he had screamed at the boy, told him to get out of his life... and now Merlin was possessed by evil and about to kill Arthur's father...

_Oh god..._

Arthur scrambled to his feet and ran to the table where his knife was lying - it would take far too long to retrieve his sword from the armour room. He snatched it up, drew it from its sheath and sprinted out of the room without looking back. As he raced down the corridor, a flicker of confusion darted through his head.

Was it fear for his father that was making him run so fast? Or... was it fear for Merlin?

* * *

Uther looked up from the map he was bending over as Merin entered the great hall. The king frowned and straightened up, placing his hands on his hips.

"Sorccerer. I see no reason to talk to you right now."

Merlin smiled at him and then turned to shut the doors behind him before striding leisurely into the hall, looking around as if seeing it for the first time. Uther took a step towards him.

"What do you want, Merlin?" he asked in a bored tone.

"Merlin?" The manservent turned to face him, grinning. A strange, eerie gleam flashed in his eyes, something which made Uther recoil.

"Try again," Merlin said softly.

"What's going on?" Uther demanded.

The corner of Merlin's mouth quirked upwards even further and he cocked his head. "My name is Loiran, Nimueh's faithful servent," he said. "And I have come here to kill you."

"Kill me...?" Uther took a few steps backwards, darting a glance at his sword which was lying beside his throne, out of reach. "I didn't kill Nimueh, Loiran. Merlin did. What possible grudge could you have against me?"

"You're just a pawn," Merlin replied loftily. "Don't you see? Camelot is hovering between belief in magic and disbelief. The death of their king will be enough to convince them never to trust magic, and will turn Arthur against his pet magician once and for all. Now in charge, Arthur will banish the one thing that could have saved him and Camelot - Merlin. And after that, the way will be open for me to take control and fulfil Nimueh's dream."

"I have powerful friends," Uther said coldly. "If you kill me you will pay heavily for it. And my son will be the first to land a blow to you."

"Your son," Merlin spat. "Is a pathetic excuse for a Prince. Without Merlin, he is nothing."

"Without Arthur, Merlin is nothing more than a peasant!" Uther snapped.

"Then the two need one another," Merlin replied simply. "Remove one from the equation and Camelot with crumble... my only regret is that you will not be there to watch."

He lifted his hand and a ball of fire appeared between his outstretched fingers. Uther flinched backwards, his eyes widening in horror. The firelight cast a hellish glare over Merlin's face as he drew his hand back and prepared to cast the first blow.

* * *

Arthur skidded around the corner and came to a halt before the doors of the great hall. The two guards who should have been gaurding it lay motionless on the ground. Arthur threw himself at the doors, bursting through them as Merlin lifted his hand, fire roaring between his fingers. Merlin whirled to face him, a horrible sneer pulling his face into an evil monster. He snapped his fingers and the fire vanished. He spread his arms wide, letting out an inhuman cackle.

"Arthur! Right on time."

Arthur lifted his weapon. "You're not Merlin," he snarled. "I know you're not. Gaius said your name was Loiran..."

"Well done, Arthur," Merlin said, clapping his hands in a slow, sarcastic manner. "And the last horse finally makes it home. But answer me this, Sire, if I'm not Merlin then why haven't you killed me yet? Ah yes," he said, grinning. "Because if you kill me, you kill Merlin too."

Arthur opened his mouth and then shut it again, gripping his knife tightly. Merlin smirked and then turned to face Uther once more. He lifted both hands, a ball off fire appearing in each palm.

"Goodbye, Uther," he said silkily.

And he hurled the fire into the air. Uther threw himself to the ground and the fire balls flew over his head, hitting the wall instead. More fire appeared in Merlin's hands and he aimed again, laughing wildly. Arthur shook himself into action and ran forwards, swinging his knife upwards - and Merlin span to face him and grabbed his wrist, forcing it up and out of the way. For a moment, Arthur and Merlin were face to face, only inches away from one another. Merlin stared into Arthur's eyes, and suddenly his expression changed completely.

"Do it, Arthur!" he hissed. "Please, don't let me kill anyone!"

"Merlin!" Arthur whispered.

Merlin shut his eyes and then grimaced and tore the knife from Arthur's hands. With a flick of his wrist he sent Arthur sailing backwards into the wall, where he crashed to the ground. Merlin turned towards Uther, who had risen to his feet once more. He ran his hand along the length of the blade and the metal instantly lit with blue flames which coursed up and down it like flecks of light. He looked up at the king, smirking. He lifted the knife, ready to send it flying towards Uther...

... and suddenly froze. Arthur scrambled to his feet, panting hard. Merlin stood motionless, the knife held high in his hand. The young man suddenly turned his head and fixed his eyes on the Prince, the hand holding the knife shaking wildly.

"Remember me," he whispered.

Then he flipped the knife over and drove it into his own chest. Arthur clapped his hands over his ears as Merlin's agonized screams tore through the air, but his eyes remained rivetted on his friend. A strange golden light was pulling free of Merlin's body, ripping out of him to rise up in the air before him and form an eerie, glowing orb. Arthur stared at it in shock as it rose up, freeing itself from Merlin's body. Merlin dropped to his knees, gasping raggedly. The orb began to shake wildly. Then with a ghostly, echoing scream, it shattered into a million peices like a shard of glass and vanished, ebbing away into nothing.

Silence. Silence but for hard, gasping pants.

Arthur stood motionless, gazing at the place where the orb had been, as if expecting it to reappear. He dimly heard his father shouting for the guards to come, but the king suddenly seemed very far away. Was Loiran dead, or simply driven away? Arthur turned his gaze to Merlin, who was swaying unsteadily on his knees. The boy let out a weak moan and fell sideways, hitting the floor hard. Arthur's heart jerked and he raced forwards, all other thoughts dissappearing. He dropped to his knees beside Merlin and pulled the boy onto his back, gripping his arm tightly.

"Merlin! Merlin..."

The knife was still buried up to the hilt in Merlin's chest, blood leaking out over his tunic at an alarmingly fast rate. As Arthur clutched Merlin tightly in panic, Merlin's eyes flickered open and focused blearily on his own.

"A-Arthur," he rasped. "Di-Did I...?"

"You did it, Merlin," Arthur replied, his voice trembling wildly. "Loiran's dead. You saved my father."

The ghost of a smile chased across Merlin's face and his eyes drifted shut. Terror rose up inside him and Arthur shook his shoulder, tears pricking at his eyes.

"Merlin! No, hold on, Merlin! You're going to be alright!"

Merlin let out a weak, huffing laugh and rolled his head to the side. "Th-Thought you w-wanted... me o-out... of your... li-life..."

"No! Merlin, I was wrong... please..." Tears were pricking at Arthur's eyes, and a huge lump had risen in his throat, almost blocking out his words. "Please... you can't just give up... Merlin, you can't die now! Please!"

Merlin's eyes opened again and fixed on Arthur's. He took a shallow, shuddering breath, squeezing his eyes shut once more. "T-Take it ou-ou-out," he whimpered.

Arthur swallowed hard. He knew that removing the knife would make the wound bleed even more, but Merlin knew that too. He must know what he was doing. Steeling himself, Arthur closed his hand over the knife and with one swift motion tore it out. Merlin let out a sharp yell and then fell limp in Arthur's arms, a weak moan passing his lips. Arthur tightened his grip.

"Merlin? Hey, Merlin, look at me!"

Merlin's eyes remained shut. Tiny, rasping breaths shuddered in and out of his lungs and his whole body was trembling in Arthur's grasp. His mouth formed words and Arthur leant forwards to hear them.

_"Yion s-sa... e-eoirz m-ma... kas... kastan..."_

"Is that a spell?" Arthur murmured. "Merlin?"

He leant back and realized with a jolt that Merlin had stopped moving. Arthur shook him slightly; Merlin lolled lifelessly in his arms. Arthur's heart flipped over in his chest.

"No. No, no, no. Merlin! _Merlin!_"

**Evil cliffie, I know! Please review!**

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	10. Wounds

**Disclaimer: As much as I would like to, I don't own Merlin!**

**Wow. I was literally shocked at the sudden rush of reviews I got for this chapter. Thank you so, so, SOO much! It was those reviews that made me get this next chapter up as fast as I could. Thank you so much again. This chapter is dedicated to everyone who reviewed that last chapter! :D**

Arthur held Merlin tightly, his fingers digging right into the other boy's flesh. The Prince's heart was hammering wildly in his chest and sobs were catching in his throat. He could feel hot, burning tears trickling down his cheeks, and yet he didn't even feel self conscious. He shook Meriln roughly, but his friend did not even stir. His face was ashen and his chest was soaked with blood, blood that was leaking onto the stone floor and staining Arthur's shirt a deep, terrifying red.

"Merlin... Merlin, come on, please... please, do not do this to me now... Merlin... Merlin, please, I'm begging you..."

The whispered prayer kept flowing past his lips, thick with tears, his words stumbling and stutterring over each other. If he kept praying maybe, just maybe Merlin would live. If Arthur kept talking, just kept talking, then Merlin would be alright. Arthur just had to believe it. If he believed it, it would be true.

"Sire? Prince Arthur?" Someone crouched down in front of him and took his shoulder. "My Prince? Sire!"

Arthur blinked and looked up, focussing blearily on the face of one of the guards. He knew this man... Leif, was it? He looked past him and took in another guard who was hanging back, clearly unsure of whether to approach or not. Leif called his name again and Arthur turned his gaze back to him, sucking in a deep breath.

"Sire, I ran for help. Gaius says to bring Merlin down to his chambers."

Arthur stared at Leif blankly. The words should make sense, but they meant nothing to him. Something about Gaius. What did Gaius matter now, while Merlin was bleeding to death in his arms? Leif wet his lips and then reached for Merlin, trying to pull his limp body from Arthur's grasp.

"Don't worry, I'll take him, Sire-"

"NO!"

His voice came out louder than he had intended, a dry shriek. Leif drew his hands back as if he had been scorched. Arthur took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. No one else was about to touch Merlin, not yet. He couldn't deal with it now.

"Arthur."

The use of his first name snatched Arthur's attention and he looked at the man again, swallowing hard. Leif's gaze was steady.

"If we do not get him to Gaius now, he's going to die."

His sudden bluntness shook Arthur to the core, pushing him into action. He took another deep breath, gulping down the lump in his throat, and then hooked an arm under Merlin's knees, reached his other hand around Merlin's shoulders and rose to his feet. Merlin lolled lifelessly in his arms. A tiny bubble of blood grew at the corner of his mouth and burst, sending a dark trickle down his chin. Arthur's stomach heaved, but he managed to control himself. He strode towards the doors, Leif hovering behind him like a child's balloon.

It took too long to get to Gaius's chambers. Every step Arthur took sent five drops of blood spattering onto the floor. As they walked people stopped to stare at them and whispers began to fly wildly around them. Arthur only caught snatches as he passed, but snatches were all he needed.

"Is that..."

"The Sorccerer...."

"The Prince..."

"Blood...."

And then, the phrase that was repeated most often;

"Is he _dead?"_

Arthur kept his eyes on the corridor in front of him, blotting out the people around him. He wanted to scream at them 'No! No, he is not dead!' but his lips stayed pressed together. It was as if he was completely numb. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't think.

_What if he's already dead...?_

They reached Gaius's chambers and Leif stepped ahead to push the door open. Gaius had already set up the bed before the fireplace and had pulled his desk closer to it for convenience. Another young man was sitting in a chair in the corner, clutching a cup of some kind of herbal remedy. His long dark hair hung forwards over his face, masking him from view. Arthur didn't care anyway. He carried Merlin over to the bed and laid him down on it, moving as gently as he could. Gaius leant forwards at once, pulling Merlin's tunic open. Beneath it the hole in his chest was scorched and jagged, and oozing deep scarlet blood. Gaius instantly grabbed some rags and pressed them against the bloody mass, trying to staunch the bleeding.

Arthur stumbled backwards and sat down hard in a chair, watching as the blood soaked through the layers of matireal. He could dimly hear Gaius demanding to know what had happened, Leif hurriedly explaining. He could barely understand them. He burried his head in his shaking hands and shut his eyes tightly. This couldn't be happening. It was all just some terrible nightmare. It was just all too horrible to comprehend... his own words floated back to him, cold and mocking.

_"Why couldn't you have stayed in your village with your precious mother instead of ruining my life?"_

_"I don't want to look at you. I don't want to talk to you. I don't want anything to do with you."_

Had he really said those things to Merlin? And for what, just because he was upset, just because he was having a hard time? He had not even spoken to Merlin since those moments. God, Merlin had known that he hadn't meant it, hadn't he? He must have known. Arthur had just been upset about Morgana. He hadn't meant any of it... but what if Merlin had believed him? What if Merlin died, and the last words Arthur had ever said to him would have been screamed in rage and hatred.

_"Get out!"_

Arthur flinched at the memory and gulped down the lump that was rising again in his throat. A sudden movement beside him dragged him from his own thoughts and he looked up to see that the young man had got up and walked unsteadily over to them. With a jolt Arthur recognized him - the lank, straggling black hair, the unaturally pale skin, the hollow, glazed eyes... it was the man who had appeared in his bedroom, the man who had attacked both Merlin, himself and Camelot. His eyes seemed strangely clear now, and had lost the evil glare. He was the man Loiran had been possessing before, Arthur realized.

"I saw him before," he said, his voice faint but steady. "Back when I was... wasn't myself." He looked at Arthur. "Was it Loiran?"

Arthur nodded silently.

"Is he going to die?"

Arthur didn't move. The man waited for a few moments and then turned and limped back over to his chair, which he sank into and closed his eyes. Arthur kept his eyes on Gaius, who was beginning to check the wound beneath the rags. The bleeding seemed to be stopping. Either whatever Gaius was doing was working or Merlin simply had no more blood to bleed... Leif had left somewhere in the confusion.

"Alright," Gaius murmured under his breath, gently lifting the rags off. He wiped away the blood that had trickled over the side of Merlin's chest, reaching for a small pot on the table with his other hand. He began to smear some strange, thick paste over the wound which smelled vaugely like honey. Arthur leant forwards to look at it. He could finally see it clearly now, without the blood getting in the way. The edges of the wound were jagged and the skin all around it was burned and blistered, scorched by the enchanted fire Loiran had conjured.

"A curse was set on the blade," Gaius said. He looked quickly at Arthur. "Am I right?"

"Yes," Arthur whispered. His voice came out a croak. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Yes. But... but Merlin... he said some kind of spell... I don't know what it was."

Gaius shook his head. "I'm no sorccerer. I can't heal magically inflicted wounds." He bit his lip and then reached for a pile of bandages. "Let us just hope that the spell Merlin said di what I could not."

Arthur shut his eyes tightly, pressing his hands over his face. It felt like only a few seconds but the next thing he knew, Gaius was touching his shoulder.

"Arthur," he said quietly. "Maybe you should go to bed."

Arthur looked up. "No. I'm staying," he said shortly.

"You're shaking. You're a complete mess. You need to go and calm down."

"I'm not going anywhere," Arthur growled. He pulled his chair closer to Merlin's bed, as if making a statement.

Gaius sighed, but relented. He turned and made his way over to the man in the corner. Arthur watched as Gaius said something to him and then escorted him into Merlin's bedroom, leaving the two alone.

Arthur leant forwards, resting his elbows on his knees. Merlin lay still on the bed, his lips slightly parted, his eyes firmly shut. Arthur could barely see him breathing. The Prince rubbed a hand over his face, trying to collect himself.

"You're not going to die, Merlin," he whispered. "You're not. Two sides of the same coin, remember? You have to survive. You just have to. I'm not leaving until I know you're alright."

He waited, but Merlin did not respond. Arthur took a deep, shuddering breath. Then he sat back in the chair and settled down to wait.

**And another chapter comes to an end. This story is nearly finished now. I hope you guys have been enjoying it. I'd say theres about two more chapters left to write at the most.**

**Please REVIEW!**

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	11. Healing

**Disclaimer: As much as I would like to, I don't own Merlin!**

**Thanks for the reviews! I got so many pleas for Merlin to live that I didn't really have much choice while writing this chapter. :D Enjoy!**

Every breath Merlin took sent a throb of pain through him. He tried to measure his breathing out properly, take shallower breaths to stop the pain, but he just couldn't seem to do it. Come to think of it, he couldn't do much of anything... his body wasn't responding to his brain's instructions... he felt a sudden sinking feeling, as if he were falling away from all feeling...

_No._

Somehow, he couldn't let himself fall back into that cold, numb darkness. There was something very important he was supposed to be doing, or something important he had _done, _or was _about _to do, or something... he could almost feel a presense nearby that was calling him. If he could just wake up, then maybe he would be able to answer. But it was so _hard..._

_Come on... breathe..._

With a huge effort, Merlin pulled his eyelashes apart. Colours blurred and shifted before his eyes, preventing him from seeing any real shapes or objects. He blinked once, twice, squinted into the wavering mass. Firelight. He frowned, watching as the flames danced and leapt in the stone fireplace. His chest was hurting even more now, and he could hear his own breathing rasping loudly. What was wrong with him? His memory was smudged, like a charcol picture. He couldn't figure out what had happened. All there was was a ghost of what had happened. Something to do with magic? Something to do with Uther... he couldn't remember. He rolled his head to the other side, wincing as black dots danced before his eyes. Then his eyes widened, surprised.

Arthur was slumped in a chair beside him, asleep. He was rolled dangerously close to the edge of the chair, threatening to fall off at any moment. And they were in Gaius's chambers, Merlin realized. But what was Arthur doing here? Why was Arthur _sleeping _here? Merlin tried to speak but his voice caught in his throat. He tried again, the words scratching like sandpaper.

"A-Arth-u-ur?"

His voice was barely more than a whisper. Even the tiny task of speaking seemed to take a huge effort. He swallowed hard. Pain instantly flared up in his chest again and he gasped, tears pooling at the corners of his eyes. He tried to steady his breathing but it was too late now. The pain was growing and growing, and he couldn't see, he was hyperventilating...

"Merlin. Merlin, its alright."

Merlin forced his eyes open, wincing. Gaius's stern face came into sight above him.

"G-Gai..."

"Its alright, Merlin, don't speak. And stop trying to sit up, you'll make it start bleeding again."

_Make what start bleeding again? _Merlin tried to angle his head to see the source of the pain, but he couldn't see anything. Gaius firmly pushed his head back down and moved out of his line of sight. Merlin obiediantly lay still, blinking slowly. He turned his gaze on Arthur, who was still asleep. Gaius suddenly returned, a cup in his hand, and Merlin looked up at him.

"Sorry, Merlin," Gaius said ruefully. "You'll have to sit up. I need you to drink this."

He put an arm behind Merlin's back and slowly pulled him up into a sitting position. Merlin let out a yelp of pain and clutched at Gaius's sleeve, trying to fight back the darkness that was swarming in on his vision. And then, suddenly, two new arms were wrapping around him and holding him steady.

"Its alright, Merlin. I've got you."

_Arthur!_

Merlin fought his eyes open and found himself staring straight into Arthur's face. The Prince was crouched right beside him, arms wrapped firmly around his chest, supporting him in position. Dark bags hung under the Prince's eyes, as if he had not slept for days, and his face was pale. His hair was lank and dull and his face unshaven. And all of a sudden, gazing at Arthur, Merlin remembered everything. Panic surged through him and he looked down. A large white bandage was wrapped around his chest. Then he had survived. But what of Loiran?

"Merlin. Merlin, look at me."

Merlin looked, Arthur's voice breaking through his thoughts.

"You have to drink this. Can you do that?"

Merlin realized that Gaius was still holding out the cup. He nodded. Gaius leant forwards. It tasted disgusting - Gaius's remedies always did - but Merlin forced himself to drink it all. Gaius stepped back and moved out of sight once more. Arthur had reached behind him and was doing something out of sight. Merlin shut his eyes tightly as the pain made his head swim. He couldn't faint now, he had to stay awake. He needed to know what had happened to Loiran. Arthur finished whatever he was doing and laid Merlin back against the pillows he had just arranged, propping him up slightly more than before. He moved with such care that Merlin had to look at him again to make sure that it really was the Prince sitting beside him and not just some mild-mannered look-alike.

"Arthur..."

"Save it until later, Merlin," Arthur replied firmly. "You remember what happened?"

He nodded. Arthur sighed, shaking his head.

"Merlin... I have so much to thank you for. And yet I just can't find the words." He looked Merlin in the eye, suddenly nervous and uncomfortable. "I... I'm so sorry, Merlin. Truly, I am."

Merlin stared at him in amazement. He had actually just provoked a sinceire apology from the prince of Camelot. He could barely believe it. Maybe he was still unconscious and this was simply some weird dream. Arthur took his stunned silence for anger and looked at the floor, biting his lip.

"I don't expect you to forgive me, of course I don't. Just please know that I'm sorry... I was angry before, I wasn't thinking clearly. That's no excuse, I know but-"

"S'alright," Merlin said weakly. "Really..." he swallowed hard, trying to speak properly. Still, all he managed were one-word sentences. "L-Loiran...?"

"Is dead," Arthur said quickly. "You killed him. You were amazing, Merlin, you really were."

Loiran was dead. Merlin let out a short sigh of relief, relaxing a little for the first time. Arthur fell silent as Gaius returned. The old man sat down on Merlin's other side and leant forwards, peering into his face.

"Look at me, Merlin?"

Merlin squinted blearily at him. Gaius looked at him carefully and then nodded, as if satisfied. "I'm sure I don't have to tell you how lucky you are. We almost couldn't save you. If you hadn't cast that spell right before you passed out..." Gaius shook his head, clearly not wanting to think of those consequences. "You must rest for a while, Merlin. You're very weak and if you go rushing off on some perilous task any time soon I'm sure you'll aggrivate your wound and set it bleeding again."

The corners of Merlin's mouth quirked in a smile. He definitely didn't feel like 'rushing off' right now. His whole body felt leaden, unmoveable. Gaius glanced at Arthur and then stood up and moved away.

"I'm obliged to report to the king. Do _not _excite him," he muttered to Arthur as he went.

The door shut behind him, and there was silence. Arthur was wringing his hands uncomfortably, careful to look anywhere but at Merlin.

"We found the man Loiran was possessing before," he said suddenly. "Aden, his name is. He's alright. Sent home yesterday."

"H-How long?"

Arthur glanced at him. "You were unconscious for three days."

Merlin blinked. It had felt like merely a few hours. He put his mind to his next question.

"Uther?"

Arthur paused. "I think he may still be in shock from what happened. He hasn't said anything about you yet."

Merlin's heart sank. After this whole mess, there was no way Uther would allow him to survive. He would be either killed or chased out of the kingdom, never to return. Surely this would have proven once and for all to Uther that Merlin was never to be trusted. His one last chance at a life in Camelot, and he had blown it. Arthur suddenly reached out and gripped his shoulder, and Merlin looked up.

"Don't look like that. I'm not going to let anything happen to you, Merlin, especially not after all this. You've saved us all."

Merlin looked at him, hesitating. Arthur held his gaze steadily.

"However this turns out, when I take the throne of Camelot, you will be by my side. I promise you that."

Just like that, everything fell away. All the panic, the fear, the anxiety - it all vanished like dust blown into the wind. If Arthur said it, it would happen. Merlin smiled, his eyes growing heavy once more. He tried to stay awake, but the weight of tiredness pressed down on him relentlessly. Arthur let go of him.

"Go to sleep, Merlin," he said. "I'll be here when you wake up."

Merlin's eyes closed, and he let himself drop into the darkness, Arthur's words ringing in his ears.

Everything was going to be alright. The two sides of the coin were reunited. No matter what happened next this would never change - Prince and Manservent side by side. As they should be.

**The End.**

**I know I said there would be two more chapters, but this just felt like a good place to end it. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, and thanks for reading this story! Hopefully the ending did not dissapoint.**

**SUPRNTRAL LVR.**


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